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WASHINGTON'S RECEPTION COMMEMORATING THE BATTLE OF TRENTON, 
WHILE ON HIS WAY TO NEW YORK FOR INAUGURATION. 



DELIGHTFUL STORIES 



FROM 



American History 

FOR 

YOUNG PEOPLE 

A Book Telling the Story of Our Country, its Progress 

AND Achievements 




By Prof. Allfn E. Fowlhr 

Embellished with Numerous Engravings, Illustrating all that is Noblest, most In- 
teresting and Instructive in the History of the Country in which we Live 



HOME AND SCHOOL EDITION 



PUBLISHED AND FOR SALE ONLY BY 

Monarch Book Company, 

(Formerly L. P. MILLER & CO.) 
CHICAGO, ILL. PHILADELPHIA, PA. OAKLAND, CAL. 

1867 

/ 



-^dy 



M-^'^^O ^ 



Fi? 



A duplicate o£ this book can be pro- 
cured through our authorized agent 
of your town, or by writing the 

PUBLISHKKS. 

MONARCH BOOK COMPANY, 

Chicago III., - Philadelphia, Pa., 

Oakland. Cal. 

Address the house nearest you. 

Sent post-paid on receipt of price. 

RETAIL PRICE 

C'loth binding, - - - $1.50 

Half Morocco hinding, - - 2.50 



1096 



Copyrighted hv 
LINCOLN W. WALTER, 

1897. 



IntrodttCtion. 




iNE cannot fail to notice that within the last few 

years a taste for the study of American History 

has been rapidly growing. A pleasing feature of 

this tendency is, that it has reached the home as 

well as the school. 

As a usual thing, history is dry, so a book for 
' '^ young people ought, before all things else, be interesting. 
A fact pleasantly told remains fixed in the memory, while that 
which is learned listlessly is lost easily. There is a fundamental 
difference between simplicity of thought and simplicity of expres- 
sion. This book is designed to meet this difference; it tells the 
Stories of American History as our father told them to us many 
years ago, in a simple and natural manner. The language makes 
it especially suitable for young people and even for children, while, 
on the other hand, it is also equally interesting to grown people. 
It aims to teach the history of the country by bringing out 
the most illustrious actors and events in it. Young people are 
always interested in persons and things. Biography and story for 
them is the natural door into history. The order of dates is 
usually above their reach, but the course of events and the per- 
sonal achievements of an individual are delightful. So in teaching 
by means of biography and story, we are teaching the very alphabet 
of history. 

It gives interesting glimpses of life in early times by means of 
personal anecdote. The- customs of foreign courts, the wigwams of 
the Indians, the struggles of pioneer life, the desolations of the 
early wars with the savages, the spinning industry, the cotton and 
tobacco raising, the Tea Party, the cause of negro slavery, etc., 
are suggested in unforgettable stories of real people. 

In United States History there are also materials for moral 
instruction. The perseverance of Columbus, of De Soto and of 

9 



10 INTROlpCTION. 

^^ Field, the fortitude of Joh.n Sii/th, of William Penn and of Stone- 
wall Jackson, cannot but excite the courage of those who read the 
stories of their lives. No one can follow the story of Franklin's 
pursuit after knowledge without a quickening of his own aspirations. 
What life could teach kindness, truth-telling, manly honor and 
public spirit better than the life of Washington? And where will 
a poor lad struggling with poverty find more encouragement in 
diligent study and simplicity of character than in the life of 
Lincoln? It would be a pity for a country with such examples in 
her history not to use them for the moral training of the young. 
The faults as well as the virtues of the persons whose lives are 
told here will afford both mother and teacher opportunities to 
encourage all that is best and noblest in the children. 

Parents and teachers can here often select material for reading 
or recreation. Nothing can better aid in fixing a fact in the 
memory of a boy or girl than a stirring ballad or poem, pictured 
before him with all the charms of imagination. Take, for example, 
the story of Paul Revere and follow it up with a recitation of 
"Paul Reveres Ride;" or take, for example, the thought that 
prompted Francis Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner" and 
follow it up with the song; or take, for example, those immortal 
words of Charles Pinckney inspired by patriotism when he said, 
"Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute." 

Great care has been taken to secure accuracy in all the delin- 
eations of men and things, so that they may not convey false 
instruction. 

So, dear people, I suggest, nay, I urge, that you place before 
the children books which will teach, by great examples, the way 
to honor, success and happiness. Hoping that this volume will, at 
least in a small measure, be instrumental in bringing good results, 
I am, Most sincerely, ' 

Allen E. Fowler. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PART I.— PERIOD OF DISCOVERY. 



Americus Vespucius 32 

Columbus and Queen Isabella of 

Spain 26 

De Soto 36 

English Explorers 33 

Fate of Sir Walter Raleigh 35 

King John II, of Portugal, and Co- 
lumbus 24 

Long Ago 15 



Sir Walter Raleigh 34 

The Indians 18 

The White Men of Europe 22 

The Boy Columbus 23 

The Voyage 27 

The People on the Islands 28 

The Closing Year of Columbus' 

Life 30 

The French 33 



PART II.— EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



Anna Hutchinson 54 

A Catholic Colony in Mar3dand. ... 67 

Burning of Arcadia 88 

Battle of Quebec 92 

Benjamin Franklin 95 

Captain John Smith 39 

Colonial Customs 102 

Causes of the Revolution 104 

Custom House Dut}-. 108 

Dutch in America 63 

Daughters of Liberty 107 

French and Indian Wars 81 

Georgia 77 

General Braddock 87 

Harvard College loi 

How the Colonies Grew United. . . . 103 

Indian Troubles 70 

John Rolfe and Pocahontas . 42 

King Phillipp's War 75 

La Salle 80 

Mistress Annie Hibbins 55 

Massasoit's Illness 75 

Pocahontas 40 



Plymouth Colony 

Penn's Honesty with the Indians. . . 

Roger Williams 

Religious Troubles in America 

Samuel Argall » 

Swedish Colony in America 

Sir Edmund Andros 

The Thirteen Colonies 

The Pilgrims in America 

The Puritans in America 

The Quakers 

The Pequots 

The Snake-Skins 

The Jesuits 

The Charter Oak 

The Boston Massacre 

The Boston Tea Party 

The First Continental Congress. . . . 
Why the Puritans Came to America. 

Witchcraft in the Colonies 

William Penn 

Wolfe and Montcalm 

Young George Washington 



44 
61 

52 

63 
42 
68 

99 
38 
48 

49 

56 

7i 

74 

79 

100 

109 

III 

114 

48 

55 
58 
90 



PART III.— AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



Arnold, the Traitor, and Andr^, the 

Spy 149 

American Money 158 

Battle of Lexington 115 



Battle of Quebec '. 125 

Battle of Monmouth 137 

Captain Paul Jones 145 

Declaration of Independence 130 



1 1 



12 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAOS 

Emily Greiger 148 

Fort Ticonderoga 119 

Fine Feathers Ne'er Make Fine 

Birds 128 

Le Bonhon>me Richard 147 

Lafayette 159 

Massacre at Wyoming 142 

National Hymn 162 

Paul Revere's Ride 116 

Robert Morris 144 

Second Continental Congress 122 

Speech of Patrick Henry 123 



Success on the Ground of Defeat. . . 

Surrender of Cornwallis 

The First American Flag 

The Darkest Hour in American His- 
tory 

The Little Black-Eyed Rebel 

The Surrender of Burgoyne 

Valley Forge 

Washington and His Army 

Washington Taking Leave of His 
Army 

War versus Peace 



PART IV.— THE AMERICAN NATION, 



Administration of Thomas Jefferson. 178 

Aaron Burr 180 

Administration of James Madison. . 186 

Andrew Jackson ig8 

Brave O. H. Perry 195 

Battle of Niagara 199 

Battle of Lake Champlain 206 

Captain Bainbridge 193 

Daniel Boone 168 

First President of the United States. 165 

Hull's Surrender of Detroit 189 

John Adams' Administration 175 

Martha Washington 172 

Massacre of Fort Mimms 197 



' ' Old Hickory " and the Baby 

Our Capital City Burned 

Robert Fulton and the First Steam- 
boat 

" Star Spangled Banner " 

The Administration of Washington. 

Tne City of Washington 

Two Indian Brothers 

The Constitution and the Guerriere. 

The Wasp and the Frolic 

The Hornet and the Peacock 

The End of the War 

Washington's Second Term 

War of 1 8 1 2 



PAGE 

135 
155 
132 

134 

138 

139 
136 
129 

157 

158 



199 
103 

184 
205 
166 
169 
186 
190 
192 

193 
207 
169 
188 



PART v.— THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 



An Old Hero Visits America 211 

Andrew Jackson 2(5 

Henry Clay 212 

James Knox Polk 223 

Monroe's Administration 209 

Martin Van Buren 218 



The Administration of John Quincy 

Adams 213 

The First Train of Cars 214 

Taylor's Administration 226 

The Slavery Question 227 

William Henry Harrison 221 



PART VI.— THE CIVIL WAR. 



Andersonville Prison 264 

Abraham Lincoln 233 

Abraham Lincoln and the Hospi;tal 

at Richmond. 285 

Battle of Bull's Run 243 

Battle of Shiloh 249 

Battles of Chattanooga and Lookout 

Mountain 262 

Battle of Gettysburg 266 



Decline and Overthrow of the Con- 
federacy 256 

Evacuation of Riclimond 276 

Fort Sumter 241 

Fort Donelson 248 

Grant as Lieutenant-General 273 

Harriet Beecher Stowe 249 

Lincoln and the People 239 

Lee's Surrender 280 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



13 



Negro Song — "Ole Abe Has Gone 

an' Did It, Boys." 258 

National Cemetery at Gettysburg. . 267 

Now for Richmond 276 

Pictures of the Civil War 255 

Peace and Reconciliation 288 

Song — "Battle Cry of Freedom." . 243 

Sharp-Shooters 259 

Song — "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp.". 264 

Stonewall Jackson 272 

Sherman's March to the Sea 274 

Sheridan's Ride 276 



" The Blue and the Gray." 240 

The Army of the Potomac 244 

The Cotton Industry 245 

The Picket Guard 247 

The Story of '• Eliza. " 250 

The Merrimac and the Monitor. . . . 252 

The Capture of New Orleans 254 

The Siege of Vicksburg 260 

The Alabama and the Kearsarge. . . 270 

The Swords of Grant and Lee 284 

The Ford Theater Tragedy 286 



PART VII.— PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



Alaska 

Arthur's Administration 

Administration of Grover Cleveland. 

Edison, the Genius of the Age 

Earthquake at Charleston 

Grant's Administration 

Garfield's Administration 

Hayes' Administration 

Johnson's Administration 

Johnstown Flood 

No Room for Class Distinction . . . . 
Our Nation To-Day 



293 Sioux Indian Outbreak 308 

303 Second Administration of Cleveland. 315 

304 The Atlantic Cable ' 293 

303 The Sioux War of 1872 295 

305 The Massacre of Custer's Army. . . 296 

294 The Burning of Chicago 299 

301 The Telephone and the Phonograph. 303 

299 The Administration of Benjamin 

291 Harrison 306 

307 The Battle of Wounded Knee Creek. 312 

324 The World's Columbian Exposition. 316 

322 The Presidential Election, 1896. . . . 318 



PART VIII.— UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 



Cabinet 334 

President and Vice-President of the 

United States 332 

The District of Columbia and the 

National Capital 327 

The Origin of Government 330 

The State Department 334 



The Treasury Department 336 

The War Department 338 

The Navy Department 339 

The Department of the Interior. . . . 340 

The Postoffice Department 341 

The Departmeht of Agriculture. . . . 342 
The Department of Justice 343 



PART IX.— UNDER BOTH FLAGS. 



Antietam ; 349 

Home, Sweet Home 344 

The Union Soldier 346 



Our Noble, Heroic and Self Sacri- 
ficing Women 348 

War and Peace 345 




/^■/ 



Leader of a Charge, 



STORIES FROM 



AMERICAN History 




Long Ago. 

'OUR hundrea years ago this country in which we Hve 
was a wilderness, mostly covered with forest trees, and 
unknown to the rest of the world. From the Atlantic 
Ocean to the Mississippi River great woods grew, in 
which bears, wolves, wildcats, beaver and deer roamed 
in freedom. Beyond, wide prairies stretched to the 
mountains, herds of buffalo pranced over the long grass, 
and snakes of many colors basked in the sunshine. In 

the south the sun was warm, and his rays nursed plants of every 

kind, which hid the ground beneath their 

rank herbage; but in the north the winters 

were longer and colder than they now are, 

ice often lingered all summer in the valleys, 

and the land wore a dreary look. 
There were at that time no towns 

or villages anywhere in all the countr} ; 

no ships in the harbors; no boats on 

the rivers; no tall chimneys soar- 
ing upward toward the sky; no 

roads; nothing but grim old v, 

oaks and pines with mo^s, 'f^ 

grass and wild Howers under 

their shade; dark rocks on 

the shores, on which the 

waves beat as they had beat 

ever since the world began; 

high hills and deep glens with the 

bright heaven overhead, just as we 

see it now. 

15 




i6 



S Tc ^R IKS /'R OM A ME RICA X I IIS TOR V. 



It is said that many years, perhaps ages, be- 
fore any white man saw ^ this country races of .\ ,. 'Xyl 
strange men hved here, and built large towns, and 
fought great battles on the soil which is now ours. 
We know that far away to the south 
there were people who built fine Xl)f)^ 
cities, carved images, 
raised splendid tem- 
ples to their false 
gods. Strange re- 
mains of old forts, 
with broken pieces 
of earthenware, have 
been found near the 
Ohio river. Some 
very learn- ^,p 



ed men 
have 





Indian Qirl. 



«7 



1 8 5 TORIES FROM A M ERIC A N HIS TOR Y. 

grew and waved their branches to the winds, and died, fell and 
turned into coal, or else their rotten trunks served as a home for 
wild beasts and reptiles; that the rivers rolled downward to the 
sea, and the trout and salmon leaped out of the foam to catch 
pretty flies as they buzzed over the surface; that the snow fell, 
and drifted, and the ice made bridges over streams and lakes for 
the moose to cross; that earthquakes and volcanoes burst out now 
and then, tearing great holes in the ground, filling up valleys, 
choking up rivers, and planting islands in the midst of the waters, 
all in the space of a single night or an hour; but of what it 
pleased Almighty God to do with the human beings He had 
placed here to enjoy the fruits of the earth and admire those 
wonderful works of His we know nothing at all. 

The Indians. 

THE first white sailors who came here found a wild race of 
red people, with nothing but the skin of some animal tied 
round their waist, and living in a very poor sort of way. 
They called them Indians, because it was then supposed 
that America was part of India, no one in Europe having sailed 
around it or guessed that it was a separate continent by itself. 

The Indians forced their w^omen to do all the hard work, such as 
digging the ground, sowing the corn and weaving mats. We 
know very little about these Indians or about their little boys 
and girls, for they knew nothing about writing, and so left no books 
to tell about themselves. 

They used to live in tents which they called wigwams. They 
called the women squaws and the baby boys and girls papooses. 

They were all rude and wild. The children had no schools, 
no books or no toys to keep them busy; so they spent their 
time playing about their tent or learning to hunt, fish or weave 
baskets. 

The men spent most of their time hunting and fighting with 
their neighbors, with bow^s and arrows and heavy clubs made of 
hardwood. Long afterward, when strangers settled among them, 
they used small hatchets called tomahawks, and at last guns like 




Dread Dangers the Sailors Feared. 



19 



20 STOR//^:S FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

ours. With bows they were very expert. Their arrows were 
pointed with sharp stones or pieces of shell, and they were such 
good shots that they could bring down a bird or a deer at a 
very long distance. When they went to war, they did not fight 
in the open field as our soldiers do, but lurked in the woods, and 
shot their arrows from behind trees and stones, or sprang upon 
their enemies suddenly at night and beat out their brains with 
their clubs. When they had killed a man, they used to cut off 
the skin of his head with the hair on, and carried these scalps 
tied to their belts, and were very proud of them. 

But you must not fancy because these savages wore scalps 
at their belts that they could not be manly fellows at times. 
They had no fear of death, and would not cry out or complain 
in the greatest tortures. Sometimes when they were taken pris- 
oners in war, their enemies would tie them to trees and shoot 
arrows into their flesh, till there were a dozen sticking there all 
at once; or hold burning sticks to their skin till it smoked and 
shriveled up; but, in spite of the dreadful pain these cruel tor- 
tures must have caused, the Indian warriors would never cry 
or wince, but would look calmly and proudly on their torment- 
ors. They could endure fatigue, too, and hunger, thirst and 
cold better than we can; and often, on their long journeys in 
search of game, or in pursuit of their enemies, they would spend 
day after day and night after night without food or shelter, and 
think nothing of it. 

Though they were heathens and knew nothing of God or 
the Bible, yet they knew what honor was, and scorned to injure 
a stranger so long as he lay in their wigwam and ate of their 
corn or venison. Indeed, there are many points in the character 
of these poor, half-naked, ignorant Indians which might serve as 
a pattern to some people in our own day. 

In the following pages you will see much to admire in. the 
life of the Indian, and also much that will cause you to rebel 
against his treatment of the white man who soon came to this 
country in great numbers. 




Columbus' First Voyeg^e. 



22 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



The White Men of Europe. 

WHILE the Indians were hunting in their forests and smok- 
ing their pipes around their camp-fires, the white men 
who hved beyond the sea, in Europe, were very busy. 
If you will look at a map of the world, you will see that 
the shortest cut for a ship sailing from Europe to India, in Asia, 
would be to sail straight over North America. It would be pretty 
hard work for a ship to do this, as you know; but, at the time 






'^'^ann^ 



iiw"' 



An Imaginary Island. 

I speak of, people in Europe did not know that such a country 
as America existed. 

The ships in those days were small and frail, hardly more 
seaworthy than a pleasure yacht to-day. 

"There is," sailors would sometimes say, "an island far out 
at sea, with rich fruits and beautiful flowers and great purple 
mountains. Rich gems and gold about its shores, and in the center 
on a gentle slope of ground stands the palace of the sea-god." 

But, though the sailors talked of it and the poets sang of it, 
no one had ever seen it. 



PART I. 

Period of Discovery. 




The Boy Columbus. 

'BOUT this time there lived in Italy a boy by the name 

of Christopher Columbus. He lived at Genoa, a small 

seaport town on the Mediterranean Sea. When not 

at school Columbus was generally found standing about 

the wharves, watching the great ships come and go and 

listening to the marvelous stories told by the sailors. 

* Genoa at this time was a very rich town and sent 
ships to all parts of the known world. The little boy drank 
in all the wonderful stories the sailors were so fond of telling, and 
thus learned much of the far away countries. 

"I shall be a sailor, "he would say to himself as he listened; 
and then, like all other small lads, he longed to grow big and 
strong. 

His parents were poor but wise and tried to give him a good 
education. He was taught to read and write, and when old enough 
his father sent him away to school, where he could study arith- 
metic, drawing and geography. 

He learned Latin, wrote a good hand, and could draw maps 
and charts for the use of sailors, by which last calling he was 
able to support himself when he came to be a man. 

He was only fourteen years' old when he made his first voy- 
age upon the great blue sea with some traders bound for the 
East Indies. From that time on, his life was like that of all 
sailors, I suppose, full of adventures, narrow escapes and marvel- 
ous experiences. 

When thirty-hve years old. he went to Lisbon, the capital 

21 



24 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

city of Portugal. He was a quiet, dignified, thoughtful man. His 
hair had grown white, and he had here and there on his face 
Hnes of care and trouble. The stories of sea-gods and wind- 
gods had long ceased to satisfy him. He said there must be 
something different from this. And so, year after year, he pon- 
dered upon the shape of the earth. He read every account of 
travels, every story of adventure, every theory of the earth's size 
and shape that he could find. "It is easy enough to guess 
about these things." he would say, "but there must be some 
natural law, some real fact, that, if discovered, would give us the 
true knowledge." 

King John II. of Portugal and Columbus. 

JOHN n., then King of Portugal, was convinced that these 
notions of Columbus, as the people were pleased to call them, 
were not so absurd as they seemed. "The man knows what 
he is talking about, I believe," said he. "I will get his plans, 
pretend to favor them, pretend to_ be willing to aid him — then 
we'll see who will have the honor of- the first expedition, Colum- 
bus, the Genoese wool-comber's son, or John H., King of Portu- 
gal!" 

And so this mean King led Columbus on to tell his reasons 
for believing the earth to be round. When he had learned all, 
and had stolen the maps and charts which Columbus had made, 
he secretly sent out a vessel and ordered the captain to follow 
closely the route Columbus had marked out. 

This was a mean trick, and no wonder it did not succeed. 
A threat storm arose. The waves rolled high and tumbled and 
broke above them mountains high. The thunder rumbled and 
the lightning flashed. Terror-stricken, the sailors turned home- 
ward. A more miserable crew never sailed back into Lisbon than 
this crew sent out by King John H. 

Columbus, disappointed with the King, took his little son, 
Diego, with him, left the country, and went to Spain. 




Columbus at Convent of La Rabida. 



85 



26 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Columbus and Queen Isabella, of Spain. 

FRIENDLESS and without money, Columbus and the Httle 
Diego traveled from place to place, in Spain, always seek- 
ing for someone who should understand and help him to an 
audience with the King or Queen. 

Years rolled by; Columbus had gained nothing but a world- 
wide name of being an insane man. Men sneered at him. boys 
hooted at him in the street. Surely it was a brave man who 
could endure all this for the sake of right! 

One day Columbus and the little Diego stopped at the gate 
of a threat srav convent, and asked for food. One of the monks 
passed by and, struck with the dignity and courteous refined ap- 
pearance of Columbus, said, to himself, "This is no ordinary beg- 
gar. I will speak with him." 

The intelligence and good faith of Columbus attracted the 
monk. "This man knows what he is about!" thought the monk; 
"I must help him gain an audience with Queen Isabella. She 
will give him hearing." 

And so it happened that Columbus was finally led into the 
presence of the only one in all Spain who seemed to be kind 
enough at heart and to be far-sighted enough to know that he 
was neither foolish nor crazy. 

After long duration, for it was no easy thing in those days to 
fit out a fleet, nor was it a politic thing for Isabella to move in 
opposition to the advice of her country, she sent this word to 
Columbus: " I will undertake this enterprise for my own Kingdom 
of Castile, and I will pledge my jewels, if need be, to raise the 
funds." 

The Voyage. 

WITH Isabella's aid and a little money which Columbus 
himself had saved, three ships were fitted out. These 
were not tall, stout ships such as you see lying at our 
wharves with their broad sails and huge ironclad sides. 
But they were small, frail crafts, not so large even as those you 
see sailing up and down our rivers and lakes. 




Columbus Signing >ils Command. 



28 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

On Friday, August 3, 1492, these three little vessels set sail 
from Spain. 

For weeks they sailed westward in unknown waters. At last 
the sailors began to be frightened at the thought of their distance 
from home and threatened to throw Columbus overboard if he did 
not turn back. 

At last Columbus promised if they did not see land within 
three days they would return. 

Fortunately for Columbus, signs of land began to appear. 
Birds came and rested on the masts; a large branch from a tree 
floated by; even the dullest sailor could not fail to believe these 
signs. 

Durmg the night which followed no one on the ships slept. 
About ten o'clock Columbus saw a glimmering light appearing and 
disappearing, as though some one on shore were carrying a torch. 
At two o'clock a sailor sighted land. 

The morning light of Friday, October 12, 1492, showed the 
Spaniards a beautiful little island. Columbus dressed himself in 
scarlet, and planted the Spanish standard on the shore, throwing 
himself on the earth and kissing it, while the naked Indians won- 
dered whether these men in bright armor had flown from the 
skies in their winged boats or had sailed down upon the clouds. 
The sailors, lately so ready to cast Columbus into the sea, now 
crowded about, embracing him and kissing his hands. 

The People of the Islands. 

WHEN the Indians saw the white sails of the vessels, they 
rushed down to the shores. They had never seen a ship 
before and were greatly frightened. 

When Columbus landed, the Indians at first ran 
away, but soon, as they recovered from their first surprise, they 
visited the ships, some of them in canoes, and other by swim- 
ming. They brought with them a ball of cotton yarn, bread made 
from roots, and some tame parrots, these, with a few golden 
ornaments, they exchanged for caps, glass beads, tiny bells, and 
other trifles, with which they could adorn themselves. 



30 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



They were kind to Columbus and his vj%^^^ 
men, telhng them in their language "You /^S^^^^i^::^ 
are welcome," and helped them not a 
little. In return Columbus treated 
them kindly. 

Had all white men, in latei 




grievance would not be so 
great. You can fancy how 




years, done the same the Indian ^^-^^/j^- 

delighted Columbus was ^^^^^^^^H 
when he landed in this ^f^}'^^^'^ 
beautiful country and ate 
the ripe fruits. , .. - ^ 

Soon he returned to Spain ^^'—^^-^.^^.r^- 
and told of the wonderful cop- I '^^ f .^:^^f' 

pe 



'%^mh 



r- ^^^ 






d told of the wondertxil cop- \jii . ^^^Sj\y\^ 

r colored people he had seen, \Mtli gJ)^^ -'//^^fx^^^ 



yf:t, 



straight black hair, head-dresses of 
feathers, and faces streaked with paint. 
All Spain was then filled with wonder. 

The people supposed it was a part of India and christened 
the islands where Columbus had landed the West Indies. 

In this way America was discovered by mistake — a rather 
lucky mistake for you and me. 



The Closing Years of Columbus' Life. 

YOU will ask what Spain did for Columbus; I wish I could 
tell you that she was so proud and so grateful that Columbus 
was ever after treated with honor; that he never again wanted 
for money or favor; and that he^ died peacefully at last, 
loved and honored by all. 

This is what you might expect to hear of so great and brave 
a man. 

I But there were jealous, envious men in Spain, who worked 
against him, and when, a few years later, he went again to the 
islands he had discovered, he was seized, put into chains and 
carried on board his vessel and sent home. 




Columbus Returns in Triumpb. 



31 



32 STORIES FROM AHFRRICAX HISTORY. . 

On reaching Spain he found that Queen Isabella had died 
and King Ferdinand would do nothing for him. 

Now an old man, Columbus lived out the rest of his days in 
poverty and died at last heart broken. Seven years after, the 
ungrateful king, ashamed of his behavior, put up an immense 
monument to his memory. Two hundred years later, his bones 
were carried over to the island of Cuba, which he had discovered. 
There they now lie in the great cathedral in the city of Havana, 
while a marble slab tells to the world the date of his birth, dis- 
coveries and death. 

As Columbus w;as born in Genoa, Italy, the Italians, in honor 
of his memory, have erected in the center of the main square of 
Genoa, Italy, a beautiful marble statue of Columbus. The ped- 
estal is adorned with ships' prows. At the feet of the statue, 
which leans on an anchor, kneels the figure of America. 

Americus Vespucius. 

WHEN Columbus went home and told of all the strange 
and beautiful things he had seen a great many other 
people wished to see this new countr}^ Some of his 
sailors had brought back lumps of gold and showed them 
to their friends. So, in time, many ships set sail westward from 
Spain, England, France, and Portugal. 

Columbus discovered America, and it would, seem but fitting 
that this country should have borne his name. But people were 
not very careful in those days about being "fair" to anybody or 
anything; and so when, in 1497, Americus Vespucius, another 
Italian, made a vovage to the new world, and wrote several books 
about it, people began speaking of the country as America. 

Columbus was not the man to whine for justice, and as 
Americus Vespucius did not seem to object to the honor conferred 
upon him it soon became known throughout Europe as America. 
Americus turned his vessel homeward, glad and eager to tell 
of his discovery of the "Land of the Southern Cross" and the 
wonderful sights he had seen. All Europe rang with the praises 
of the wonderful explorer. His writings were passed from one to 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERY. 33 

another, and everybody talked about them. Americus Vespucius, 
and not Columbus, was the hero of the time. 

English Explorers. 

/iBOUT the same time another Itahan by the name of John 
/ \ Cabot, who was a great merchant in London, persuaded some 
^^[^J^ Enghshmen where he hved to join him in a voyage to the 
countries where gold could be picked up in the fields. 

After him, his son Sebastian set sail with as many men as 
he could hire, and steered away for many days, keeping always to 
westward. Sebastian Cabot had lived in his boyhood days in the 
beautiful city of Venice — the city built so many years ago on the 
little island off the coast of Italy. The streets of this city are 
water, and the people ride up and down the streets in boats called 
gondolas, just as in our cities we ride along the streets in carriages. 

At length Sebastian came in sight of Jand. But instead of 
green valleys and ripe fruits dangling over the water's edge and 
pretty flowers, he saw nothing but bleak rocks, dark pines, and 
heaps of snow — instead of birds with bright plumage, he saw only 
white bears and uncouth looking deer. He could find no gold 
anywhere. So he sailed back very much disappointed. The only 
thing he had seen that was of any use was an immense shoal of 
fish in a fog near the shore; some of which he caught and carried 
home with him. This was the first time white men really saw 
the main shores of North America. 

The French Explorers. 

THE French thought they must have a share of the new 
country, and began to send out ships and men to the west. 
Some of them sailed to the north into the Gulf of St. Law- 
rence, and up the river as far as the place where Montreal 
now stands. The Indians were much surprised at first at the sight 
of white men; but by degrees they grew accustomed to them, and 
brought the Frenchmen food, and herbs to cure them of disease, 
and offered to show them the country. 
3 




34 5 TORIES FROM A M ERIC A N HIS TOR Y. 

Sir Walter Raleigh. 

FOR eighty years after Sebastian Cabot returned to England, 
telling the people that America was a poor, cold country, 
where bears and deer lived, and no gold could be found, the 
people of England sent no more ships thither. At length, 
however, a bold young man named Walter Raleigh made up his 
mind to go and see whether Cabot had not been mistaken. Queen 
Elizabeth, who ruled England at that time, was very 
fond of Raleigh, who was handsome and agree- 
able; she gave him leave to seize any vacant 
lands in America in her royal name. 

His ships steered to the southwest, and landed 
their crews on an island which is now called 
Roanoke. There they found quite a different 
country from the one Cabot had seen. Green 
trees and clusters of ripe grapes overhung the "^I'li j,|^|'j^ 
water's edge; there was no ice or snow; the In- sir waiter Raieigh. 

dians came down to the shore to see the white men, and offered 
them maize and fish; everything went on pleasantly, and the ships 
having returned home, Raleigh named the new region Virginia, in 
honor of his virgin queen. 

But soon afterward, his men who remained behind began to 
quarrel with the Iitdians; and you will be sorry to hear that, having 
burnt down an Indian village in revenge for the theft of a silver 
cup, they laid a snare for one of the chiefs, and treacherously put 
him to death with eight of his warriors. After this, I dare say, 
the murderers' consciences smote them, and they left the place 
and went home by the first ships which came that way. 

When Raleigh heard of it, he sent out another ship, and 
landed fifteen men on the island, and told them to be sure and 
treat the Indians well. But the red men had not forgotten the 
murder of the chief; so when Raleigh sent out a third party of 
settlers, next year, to build a city which was to bear his name, 
they found no one on the island. One skeleton lay on the sand, 
the bones bleaching in the sun — this was all that remained of the 
fifteen men. 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERY. 35 

The new settlers landed, and the ships sailed away, promis- 
ing to return early next spring. By the time they arrived in Eng- 
land, however, war was raging with Spain; everyone was providing 
for defense, and no one but the faithful Raleigh thought of the 
exiles who were far away across the sea. He never forgot them 
for an instant. 

Early in the spring he dispatched two ships, with food, to 
Roanoke. But the Spaniards were on the lookout on the coast; 
the moment Raleigh's vessels went to sea they attacked them, 
captured one, and drove the other back to port. 

Raleigh did not lose heart. He hired other ships, and loaded 
them with more provisions; but just at that time the news came 
that the king of Spain, with an immense iieet of ships of war, 
was on the way to conquer England. Every English ship was 
taken to defend its own coast against this terrible armada, and 
Raleigh's with the rest. 

FATE OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 

By this time so many losses had ruined Raleigh; he had no 
money left to hire new ships, and could only go about wildly 
imploring rich men to send food to the men, wOmen, and children 
— over a hundred in all — who were starving on the island ot 
Roanoke in America. For a long time no one would listen to 
him, and Raleigh's brave heart nearly broke under grief; but at 
last, three years after the ships had sailed away from Roanoke, 
others went to the relief of the settlers. 

They came too late. When the crews landed they found 
the huts standing, but the furniture was broken; deer were brows- 
ing within the fence, and no human being was to be seen. While 
they were looking around for traces of the lost exiles, the wind 
began to blow, and they were forced to re-embark on board their 
ships and put to sea; and no one, from that day to this, has 
known what became of the unfortunate people who came to 
Roanoke at that time. 

About this time. Queen Elizabeth died. King James of Scot- 
land became king of England. Now the skies grew black, indeed. 



36 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



for Raleigh. King James was jealous of him, for no better reason 
than that he was good and brave, while King James was not. 
Accordingly, he shut him up in prison, and there he lay pining 
in the Tower. Later, he was condemned to death. It is a sad, 
cruel story, and we will not repeat it here. Only, you may be 
sure, good, brave man as he was, that he died nobly; and that, 
as the years rolled on, the world grew more and more to appre- 
ciate what a grand man he had been and to honor him in history 
and in art. 

De Soto. 

/t MONG the early Spanish explorers was De Soto, who sailed 

\ from Spain in 1538 with six hundred well equipped men. 

^£~^ They landed at Cuba, where they remained one year; then, 

leaving his wife there, he sailed to Tampa, Florida, and from 

there started out to find the land of "fold. The winters were 




Burial of De Soto. 

severe, the Indians hostile, and after three years' wandering he 
found he had made several discoveries, among which was the great 
Mississippi River, but as yet no gold. De Soto was now dis- 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERY. 



37 



couraged, and it became plain to him that the ex- 
pedition was a failure. His anticipations had dis- 
appeared, his army reduced to a mere handful, and 
he was in the midst of a region he could not escape. 
A deep melancholy overcame him and his health 
gave way. When informed by his doctor that 
death was near at hand, he said he was ready 
to go. In order to conceal his death from the 
savages, who had come to regard him as im- 
mortal, his body was wrapped in a mantle, and, 
in the stillness of the night, was rowed out into the silence of the 
Mississippi. There, amid the darkness, the mortal remains of 
Ferdinand De Soto were committed to the great river he had dis- 
covered. 




De Soto. 



i \ 






'■% 



¥ 

m. 



>- 









PART 11. 

Early Settlements. 




The Thirteen Colonies. 

E will now take a long leap out of the period of 
discoveries over into settling of the country. You 
must not imagine that these few men I have told 
you about so far did all the discovering in the 
new world. 

There were many, many more, so many, that 
I think you might read about them every day 
for a month, and then not read half. Hundreds 
of men had been sent over by England, France, Spain, Sweden, 
Holland and many others. 

Nearly twenty years after Raleigh's last party of settlers had 
landed on the island of Roanoke — to perish of hunger, or to be 
killed by the Indians — the restless people of England, now at 
peace with Spain, began to think once more of founding colonies 
in Virginia. 

The King was always ready to do anything that was asked 
of him by great people, provided it cost him no money; some 
adventurers got the Chief Justice to apply to King James for a 
great patent — which was a piece of parchment, sealed with a great 
seal, in which King James said he gave away such and such lands, 
which did not belong to him. 

Accordingly, one wintry day in December, in 1606, three little 
ships, the largest of which was smaller than many of our coast 
schooners, set sail for America with one hundred and five men, 
only twelve of whom had ever been used to hard work. The 
others were idlers, ruined gentlemen, goldsmiths and persons who 
thought they could make rapid fortunes by picking up lumps of 

38 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 39 

gold in the new country. The most famous of all these men was 
Captain John Smith. 

He had been a great traveler, and a bold soldier. When a 
boy, he had gone over to Holland, and fought in the Dutch wars; 
when these ended, he traveled to Hungary to fight against the 
Turks. For many years his flashing plume and his swift sword 
had been the terror of the Sultan's troops; but one day, falling 
wounded in a skirmish, he had been captured, taken to Constanti- 
nople, and sold as a slave. He was bought by a Turkish lady 
and serdlto th*^ Crimea, which then belonged to Turkey. There 
he end>yed :^ch cruel treatment that, in a fit of passion, he killed 
his t? Kn.cister, mounted a horse, and fled northward through 
Russia. On his way he heard that war was raging in Morocco, and, 
as eager for the fray as ever, turned about and hastened thither. 

When there were no more Moors or Turks to slay, he returned 
to England, just in time to embark on board the ships bound for 
Virginia. He was not thirty years old at this time, though he had 
seen and suffered so much; but there was no one in the fleet as 
bold or as wise as he. I wish every ship that sailed to America 
at this time had carried as good a man as Captain John Smith — 
with his honest face, his piercing eye, and his stout arm. 

It was not till April that the fleet reached the shores of Vir- 
ginia, and a high southern wind drove them past the island of 
Roanoke into Chesapeake Bay. They sailed up a wide river, 
which they named James River, after the King, and soon landed 
on a fertile, pleasant spot, and there began to build huts and 
call the settlement Jamestown. The Indians came to see them, 
and offered them the pipe of peace, and everything promised well. 

Captain John Smith. 

/4 LL the leaders of the party were jealous of Smith, and laid 

\ a plot to drive him out of the Government. They even 

^^^Jl^ wanted to try him for treason, and did all they could to 

persecute him. Idlers and gold-seekers, you know, are not 

the sort of people to prosper anywhere, so you will not be surprised 

to learn that in a short time the settlers were all unhappy. 



40 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

The chiefs had quarreled with Smith; sickness broke out among 
them; they were -not used to work, and did not plant crops as 
they should have done; their supply of food was scanty. In a few 
weeks fifty men died, and the others, disgusted and disheartened, 
made up their minds to run away. 

But Captain John Smith was not the man to give way to such 
faint-hearted notions. When his comrades repined, he cheered 
them up; while the others were wasting their time in burrowing 
in the earth for gold, Smith was busy collecting provisions. While 
they were sighing for home, he was helping to build huts, tending 
the sick, visiting the Indians. He was always cheerful, always 
generous, always hopeful. When winter came, he had wrought 
so hard that the houses were finished, a plentiful supply of corn 
laid in for food, and good temper almost restored in the little 
colony. 

Pocahontas. 

IN December he started to explore the country, sailed up the 
river Chickahominy as far as boats could go, and then landed, 
and pursued his journey on foot. On his way he was attacked 
by a fierce band of Indians, and all his men killed. Smith fought 
as bravely as usual. Seizing an Indian with his left hand, he 
held him as a shield between himself and the foe, and killed three 
of the savages. Slipping at last in a miry place, he was seized, 
and the Indians were about to beat out his brains, when he coolly 
took his compass from his pocket and showed it to them. They 
were so surprised at this strange instrument that they forebore to 
kill him, and carried him a captive to their chief, who was named 
Powhatan. 

For several days Smith contrived to amuse the Indians with 
his compass, and by teaching them many arts of which they knew 
•lothing; but after a while they grew tired of learning, and re- 
^ )lved to put him to death. 

All the warriers assembled round a fire, painted in brightest 

.lors, and decked with gaudy feathers; talked some time in their 

\vn language; then, rising from their circle, dragged Smith to a 

large stone, and laid his head upon it. The massive club was 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 41 

raised to dash out his brains, when a pretty httle girl rushed 
through the ring of warriors, and, throwing her tiny arms round 
Smith, laid her head upon his. The savage stayed his arm. The 
little girl was Pocahontas, Powhatan's daughter, the favorite of 
all the tribe. During his captivity the white man had made rattles 
and strings of beads for her, and won her heart; and now she 
clung to his neck, and wildly begged her father to spare her 
friend's life. Her prayer was granted. Smith was raised from 
the ground, and even allowed to return to his colony. 

Little Pocahontas, who had saved his life, and of whom you 
will hear again, was at this time only about twelve years old. 

When Captain Smith returned to the colony at Jamestown, 
he found his cowardly comrades again seeking to desert. As bold 
as ever, he placed himself between them and the boat. 

Other ships arriving from England with more men. Smith 
was made President of the colony and he very soon set matters 
to rights. 

It would have been well for the colony if Smith had remained 
among them; sad indeed was the day when a bag of gunpowder 
exploded under him as he slept and wounded him so grievously 
that he could no longer perform his duties and was obliged to 
return to England. 

After he left, the idlers had it all their own way. They would 
work no longer. Some of them went to look for gold; others lay 
smoking in the sunshine; others hunted the Indians. 

To add to all, they quarreled, as usual, among themselves. 
Then began the "starving time" in Virginia; a time so dreadful 
that history hardly records another such, and one cannot but feel 
that the poor creatures who died on the banks of the James 
River were fully punished for their idleness and their folly. In 
six months, out of four hundred and ninety persons whom Smith 
had left at Jamestown, only sixty remained; poor, pale, wornout 
wretches, expecting to die daily. 

After a time, prosperity came to them; they were, however, 
not over scrupulous. 



42 5 TORIES FROM AMERICA N HIS TOR Y. 

Samuel Argall, 

A WILD, daring fellow, used to sail along the coasts and sud- 
denly dive into the forests with a few bold men, attack the 
Indian villages, slaughter the men and carry off women 
and children as slaves. We should call a man who did 
this to-day a pirate and hang him; but formerly people thought 
differently and it was considered rather a glorious thing to kill and 
plunder a few Indians. 

I am sure you will be shocked to hear that this Argall in 
one of his expeditions contrived to seize pretty Pocahontas — now 
grown up — and carried her off a captive to Jamestown. Her father, 
old Pqwhatan, raged like a lion when he heard his pet daughter 
was gone. He sent a messenger to Jamestown to demand her of 
the colonists; but they pretended that the Indians had enticed 
away some of their servants and stolen their goods, so they re- 
fused to give her up. There was no one there, I suppose, who 
remembered what the innocent young captive had done for the 
brave Captain John Smith. 

Powhatan and his men were wild with fury when they re- 
ceived the answer of the white men and got ready for war in- 
stantly. Terrible bloodshed would have followed had it not been 
for a strange accident. 

John Rolfe and Pocahontas. 

THERE was at Jamestown a young man named John Rolfe, 
who had seen Pocahontas and fallen in love with her. He 
said that it was revealed to him in a dream that he ought 
to marry her, which I have no doubt was the case, as most 
lovers have dreams of the same kind. So while old Powhatan 
and his friends were preparing to fall upon the colony, Rolfe was 
teaching Pocahontas English. As soon as she was able to speak 
a few broken words, she was baptized, and, her father having 
given his consent, was married to Rolfe. 

He took her with him to England and was very proud of 
her, as well he might be, when the nobles and the great ladies 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 43 

caressed her and everybody talked of the beautiful Indian girl. 
The Queen sent for her and she went to court. Beautiful pres- 
ents were made her, great entertainments were given her; she was 




riarriage of Pocahontas. 

shown the shops and public buildings, the churches and factories 
of England; artists painted her picture; so that the Indian girl 
became famous. Just as she was about to return with him to 
Jamestown, however, a fatal disease attacked her, and Pocahontas 



44 S TORIES FROM AMERICAN HIS TORY. 

died, far away from her home. Her httle daughter grew up to be 
the mother of noble men and women of Virginia. 

The settlers being at peace with Powhatan in consequence of 

the m: ' ' Pocahont is, the colony prospered, new settlements 

1 tiie numbers of the colonists increased. They 

: their land in tobacco fields and, as coin was 

J It as money. Houses, tools, guns, powder and such 

Lt)iii;j,.s \v re said t>) be worth so many pounds of tobacco. 

A.-r> yv;l, they had no women among them, and the colonists 
wrute to England, begging their friends to send them out wives. 
Ninety y<H)ng girls were dispatched to Jamestown, and any man 
who wan Led a wife could go and get one by paying one hundred 
pounds of tobacco. Afterward another ship brought sixty more, 
and those who had married seemed so happy that everyone wanted 
to secure a wife, and the price rose to one hundred and fifty pounds 
of tobacco. We should laugh now at the idea of buying a wife 
for so many pounds of tobacco. 

Ships arrived frequently from England with new settlers. 
Laws were made, and the people of Virginia began insisting on 
the right of helping to make the laws which were to govern them. 
They soon numbered four thousand persons and had several little 
villages. 

Plymouth Colony. 

IN the same year that Captain John Smith was saved from the 
club of the Indian by the intercession of Pocahontas, a small 
band of Puritans tried to embark on board ship and fly from 
their country with their wives and children. As they drew 
near the seashore, magistrates, constables and soldiers, with a 
great concourse of people, ran after them, seized them, and thrust 
them into prison. 

You will suppose, perhaps, that they were thieves or mur- 
derers to be treated thus. Not at all. They were quiet, hard- 
working men, who led honest lives, and dealt fairly by their 
neighbors. More than this, they prayed every morning and even- 
ing that God would bless them and teach them his will. 

Strange as it may seem, this was the reason why the mag- 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 45 

istrates chased and put them in prison. For the King of England 
had made up his mind that all the people of England should gi 
to the churches he set up, and pray in the words he direcie( 
Now these poor men, who read their Bibles more carefully, I ai. 
sure, than the King or any of his lords, had come to the conclusici, 
that the King's way was not the right way to worship God, and 
that there was a better one to be found in the Holy Scriptures; 
so set up little churches of their own, and very often — for they 
were mostly poor — met together in each other's houses, or in barns, 
or in fields, and prayed and sang psalms in their own way. 

The King imprisoned their ministers, shut up their churches, 
and annoyed them till many sought to leave their homes and find 
safety in some foreign country. 

But the King would neither let them go nor stay at home in 
peace. And thus, when they tried to embark on board ship, they 
were caught like thieves and shut up in jail. 

Next spring, however, the Puritans were wiser. They laid 
their plans so secretly that no one suspected their design, and 
they succeeded in slipping on board and getting out to sea. 

They sailed to Amsterdam, in Holland, and thence journeyed 
to Leyden, where they settled. They wrought hard, some at one 
trade, some at another; and for a time lived happily. 

But after spending some years at Leyden, thoughts of home 
came into their minds and saddened their hearts. They were in 
a strange country, surrounded by people who spoke a strange lan- 
guage, and were often enemies of England. They could not bear 
the thought that if war should break out they might be forced to 
bear arms against their native land. They could not return to 
England, for King James would have persecuted them; and so, 
after much perplexity, they thought they would remove to America, 
where they might pray as they pleased, and still live under the 
dear old English flag. 

They had no money to hire ships, so they sent over to Lon- 
don to borrow; and with great difficulty, obtained enough to charter 
two small ships called the "Mayflower" and the "Speedwell." 
These vessels could not carry all the Pilgrims; part remained be- 
hind at Leyden, and part, after a solemn address from their min- 



46 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

ister and a tender parting with their friends, set sail for the New 
England States. 

This was the name which the famous Captain John Smith 
had given to that part of America lying north of Virginia. 

But the "Speedwell" was a worthless craft, which could not 
sail, and could hardly float Once they stopped to repair her, 
and again started on their voyage. But she sailed no better for 
the repairs; and after knocking about a day or two in the ocean, 
the captain dared not trust her, and they returned once more. 
Finally, in 1620, the Mayflower set sail alone, with one hundred 
persons, men, women and children. 

Nowadays, you know, fast steamers cross the ocean in nine 
or ten days. Sixty-three were spent before land was seen from 
the decks of the Mayflower. She had met with boisterous winds 
and cold weather; one of the passengers had died on the way. 
The shore near which they anchored — Cape Cod — was rugged and 
wild; the water through which they had to wade in landing was 
freezing. 

To find a fit spot to live was their first care. Many days were 
spent in mending their boat; when it was finished, several of the 
strongest men started to explore the coast. The cold was, bitter. 

On and on they sailed, yet found no suitable place. One 
afternoon a storm burst upon them with snow and sleet. Their 
rudder was carried away; their mast snapped, and the sail fell 
over the side; night was coming on, and they were yet far from 
land. The oars were their only resource. At last an island was 
reached. The boat was run into a creek, and the crew thawed their 
frozen clothes over a fire hastily kindled, and offered hearty thanks 
to God for their preservation. 

This was on Saturday night. Sunday they spent in prayer 
and reading the Bible. On Monday they landed on a rock on the 
main shore. As long as the world lasts that rock will be known 
and honored as the spot where the Pilgrim Fathers rested from 
.their journeys and set foot in the land where their children were 
destined to become a great and powerful nation. 

The Mayflower now moored in the bay and the Pilgrims 
landed with their wives and children and called the place New 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



A1 



Plymouth. Many of them shivered from fever, others coughed as 
people do in consumption, and all were weary, cold, ragged and 
feeble. Weak and ill as they were, they contrived to build a few 
huts to shelter them from the winter storms and waited patiently 
for the summer sun. 

Most cruelly did disease afflict the little band. Day after 
day some one or other, an old man 
or a young wife or a little child, 
was carried out of the huts and a 
hole dug in the frozen ground for a 
grave. 




Landing of the Pilgrims. 



48 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

The Pilgrims in America. 

aT last spring came, and the birds began to sing and leaves 
\ grew on the trees and the Pilgrims hoped their troubles 
I Y were over. One day, to their great astonishment, an In- 
dian walked into the village crying — 

"Welcome, Englishmen!" 

He had learned a few words of English from former travel- 
ers and now came to make friends with the settlers at New Plym- 
outh. 

But the Indians were as poor as the white men and could 
do little to help them. The ground was barren, and though there 
were plenty of fish in the sea and the rivers, the settlers had 
no nets or tackle to catch them. In the fall, another ship arrived 
from Europe with thirty-five more Pilgrims; but she brought no 
provisions and the whole party nearly starved. Strong men stag- 
gered from weakness caused by hunger. At one time they had 
only one pint of corn left, which gave each person five kernels. 
At another, the)^ would have died but for some fish they begged 
from passing vessels. Yet under these cruel trials the courage of 
these brave men never failed. They never repented of having 
left their comfortable houses at Leyden; but full of faith in God's 
mercy and of hope in themselves, they endured hunger, cold and 
sickness, waiting for a better time to come. By degrees, little 
trading and fishing posts sprang up all along the coast. But of 
all the Englishmen who built themselves log cabins, cleared the 
woods and planted corn, there were none so brave, so persever- 
ing or so manly as the stout old Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth. 

Why the Puritans Came to America. 

EVERYONE should have a desire to love God. Those who 
do love Him have a right to worship Him in their own 
way — Quakers in their way, Catholics in theirs, Methodists 
in theirs. 
Everybody now in this country, and in many other coun- 
tries, is allowed to worship God as he pleases; but a long time 
ago it was not so. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 49 

In England the Puritans could not worship God as they 
wished. Their Sunday services were broken up and the worship- 
ers were thrown into prison. It was the same with the Catholics 
and the same with the Quakers. No matter how good citizens 
they were, they were opposed and persecuted and punished; they 
had not freedom to worship God. 

In France it was worse. There the Huguenots, or Protes- 
tants, as they are called in this country, were not only opposed, 
but driven from their country. A great many were killed and a 
great many more were shut up in prison. 

It was, then, for freedom to worship God that the Puritans 
came to Massachusetts, the Huguenots to South Carolina, the 
Quakers to Pennsylvania and the Catholics to Maryland. 

You will often hear the Puritans, who came first to America, 
spoken of as Pilgrims. This was the name they gave themselves 
because of their pilgrimages to Holland and then to America 
in search of a home. These people were all called Puritans in 
England, but the few who wandered about, going to different 
places and finally settling in Plymouth, were given the extra name 
of Pilgrims. 

The Puritans in America. 

WHEN the Pilgrim Fathers who had settled at Plymouth 
wrote to their friends in England how free and happy 
they were and how they worshiped God according to 
their conscience, the English Puritans began to cast long- 
ing eyes upon the shores of the New England States. They 
were still suffering persecution at the hands of the King and were 
often forced to meet and pray by stealth, for fear of the royal 
soldiers and constables. They knew that if they left their com- 
fortable homes in England and removed to the forests of America 
they would have to encounter cold and hunger and sickness and 
hardships of every kind; but they cared very little for these so 
long as they were free and could worship God in their own way. 
At this time ships crossed every year from England to America 
and traders and fishermen built huts at various places along the 
coast. 



50 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



To prepare the way for them they sent out a small party 
under the command of John Endicott, a man of great courage 
and perseverance, of cheerful temper and kind heart. With seven 




Shame on You, Boys. 

or eight companions he explored the trackless woods around Mas- 
sachusetts Bay and found several places proper for settlement. 

Then other Puritans began to arrive. One party settled on 
the coast and founded a village to which they gave the pretty 
name of Salem. 

Another — and this was the largest that had ever sailed to 
America, comprising one thousand persons, in fifteen ships — set- 
tled at the head of Massachusetts Bay, on a three-headed hill, 
which they christened Boston. 

They had obtained from Charles I., who was then King of 
England, a royal charter, or constitution, which they thought a 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 51 

a great deal more of than it was worth, as you will see pres- 
ently. It gave them permission to elect a Governor, and accord- 
ingly they chose John Winthrop, a pious, gentle, warm-hearted 
man, whose expression of face was as mild as a woman's. Under 
his rule the Massachusetts colony passed safely through the usual 
sufferings from disease, cold and want. 

At first they lived in tent? and wretched huts, through which 
the rain beat, and the cold winter winds blew. 

Before four years had passed the days of trial had ended, 
and the colonists had every reason to be happy. They had found 
many fertile spots, and sown large fields of corn, and built mills 
to grind it. They had seven churches, and stores in abundance. 
They had built two ships, and traded to Jamestown in Virginia, 
and to New Amsterdam, which is to-day the city of New York. 

Boston was already an important place, and several villages 
had been planted on the coast, on the banks of rivers, and in the 
interior. The settlers were on good terms with the Indians, who 
were glad to sell them furs for knives and other tools which they 
could not make themselves. 

But the chief source of their happiness was the right they 
enjoyed of worshiping God according to their own conscience, and 
establishing a society on the Bible model. 

When, therefore, they found among them any man who did 
not think as they did on religion, they would not allow him to 
remain, but bade him begone. All the settlers were obliged to 
go to church, and to conduct themselves in a pious, orderly manner at 
home. They were required to dress soberly and plainly, and were 
forbidden to give balls or indulge in other gaieties, which were 
believed to be contrary to the Word of God. 

In these and some other particulars, the laws of the old Puri- 
tans of New England referred to matters with which our laws do 
not interfere, and a great many severe things have been said about 
them in consequence. 

It is very easy to make jokes about the Puritans forbidding 
the wearing of wigs or the eating of mince pies, as they did; but 
if we had been chased by royal soldiers, fined and imprisoned 
because we would not keep Christmas-day as the King chose, driven 



52 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

to read our Bibles in dark holes and corners where the spies of 
the King could not see us, and at last obliged to run away from 
our homes to worship God in peace, I think it very likely that we 
should have taken as good care as the Puritans did to keep our 
old tormentors out of the place where we took refuge. 

Had they understood— as we do — that prisons, and fines, and 
cruel punishments can never alter the convictions of an honest 
mind, and that the truth does not need the aid of violence, they 
would have been spared the only blots which stain the bright page 
of their history. 

Roger Williams. 

IN one of the first ships which arrived at Boston after the first 
settlement, there came a young man, named Roger Williams, 
a Puritan preacher, who had been driven by persecution to 
leave his native land. He was a man of gentle manners, but 
lion-hearted. God's truth he began to preach boldly at Salem. 

When the magistrates of Boston heard of it they were much 
shocked, and sent for Williams. They said that in their colony 
everyone must pray as they did. 

He continued to preach in his bold way till the court at Bos- 
ton sentenced him to be exiled. As winter was coming on, they 
at first agreed to allow him to remain till spring; afterward, how- 
ever, they changed their minds and determined to arrest him and 
send him a prisoner to England. 

But there were very few in Salem who did not love the good 
Roger Wilhams. He got timely warning of the danger, and fled 
through the snow and ice of January into the wild woods. For 
fourteen weeks he wandered to and fro, not knowing where he 
was, often near perishing with hunger, and sleeping in a hollow 
of a tree. 

At length he lighted upon the wigwam of an Indian chief, 

and these poor savages, to whom he had always been kind, and 

who loved him as dearly as his old friends at Salem, sold him a 

n (f 1 iiid on Narragansett Bay. 

\\ ill five companions, who had joined him, Roger Williams 

set out in a canoe to find a fit place to settle. The people of 




S3 



54 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Rhode Island still know the spot — near a little spring at the head 
of the bay — where they landed. Roger Williams proved his 
gratitude to God, who had saved him from starvation, by naming 
the new settlement Providence. 

Anne Hutchinson. 

IT was easier to exile Roger Williams than to kill the truth. 
After he had gone, the same old ideas about freedom of con- 
science began to be spoken openly by a lady of Boston, whose 

name was Anne Hutchinson, 

Mrs. Hutchinson was born in England, and lived there until 
she was middle aged. When she and her husband came to Boston, 
they were received by the best people of the town. Her father 
in England had been a preacher, and had always filled his home 
with other preachers, with whom he would often discuss religious 
subjects. 

These talks Anne had heard and enjoyed almost from her 
childhood, and so when she came to Boston, she, too, began to 
gather her friends at her own house, for the purpose of talking 
with them. Her talks grew more and more popular. Finally the 
ministers grew alarmed. They feared she was getting a stronger 
hold upon the people than they themselves had gotten. At last 
she was brought before a company of ministers and accused of 
heresy; but Mrs. Hutchinson was a woman of keen mind, and de- 
fended herself against the charges. Failing to frighten her by this 
method, they at last had her brought into court and tried, just 
as people to-day are tried for steahng and killing. 

Her crime, you will remember, was that she had tried to 
preach the Word of God as it seemed to her right. It was a 
cruel, unjust trial, and at the end of it the court decided that she 
and all who believed what she said should be sent out of the colony 
as unfit to live there. Some were exiled at once. They went as 
a matter of course to Roger Williams, and bought from the Indians 
the beautiful island which lay near his settlement at Providence. 
They gave to their new home the name of Rhode Island. 

Rhode Island is a very small state, and looks quite insignifi- 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 55 

cant on the map when compared with such states as New York, 
Pennsylvania and Ohio; but when we remember that Rhode Island 
was the first place in the world where liberty of conscience was 
established, we cannot think of any country in which it is more 
glorious to have been born. 

Witchcraft in the Colonies. 

IT is hard to tell when the belief in witches first sprang up. 
When James the First was King, England was wild with 
excitement over witchcraft. This stupid King believed there 

were witches in the forests, in the rivers, and in the air; 
believed every strange old woman he saw might be a witch and 
about to work some evil charm, so he caused many supposed 
witches to be hanged. 

Is it any wonder, then, that witchcraft sprang up in the colo- 
nies? 

In the year 1692 there sprang up such excitement over the 
witch belief that nothing seemed able to stop it. It seems strange 
to us in these days that grown-up men and women could be so 
foolish. They believed that the devil caused the witchcraft; when 
a person was bewitched, that meant that the devil had taken 
possession of him. 

All these superstitions were commonly believed; and a great 
many well-meaning but weak-headed people actually persuaded 
themselves that they had seen witches flying about over houses 
and haystacks, with brooms sticking out behind their backs. 

Mistress Anne Hibbins. 

A POOR old widow, named Anne Hibbins, had a quarrel with 
a neighbor, and went to law about it, and was badgered 
and worried by lawyers and judges, and finally lost her case 
and her wits together, and went about the streets of Boston 
in a crazy way, out of temper with herself and everybody else. 
The wise people who saw her said at once that she was a witch. 
Several old ladies were quite positive on the subject; and, instead 



56 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

of taking the poor creature home and trying to console her for 
the loss of her case, as they ought to have done, they went to 
the magistrates and accused her of all sorts of absurd crimes. 

Widow Hibbins was more crazy than ever when she was 
brought up to be tried; and the jury said they had no doubt she 
was a witch, and should be put to death. She was accordingly 
executed. This was the first person executed for witchcraft in 
the New England States. 

The Quakers. 

IN England there had sprung up another class of people who 
adopted a still more simple form of church worship than even 
the Puritans had. 

These queer Quakers would have no form at all. They 
adopted the custom of going into the church and quietly sitting 
down, with no minister, no singing, and no praying. They sat 
perfectly still, putting their minds on holy things. No wonder 
the English people thought them mad ! 

They received the name of Quakers in a funny way. One 
of them was brought to trial before an English judge. The judge 
was severe, and the Quaker turned to him and said: "Dost 
thou not quake with fear before the Great Judge, who this day 
hath heard thy cruel judgment upon his chosen people?" Just 
then, the Quaker, who was very nervous and excitable, began to 
shiver and shake and quake to such an extent that the whole 
court burst into a roar of laughter. From that time these people 
were named "Quakers." 

In due time they were driven from England, as the Puritans 
had been before them. They, too, came over to America, hoping 
to find freedom to worship God in any way they thought best. 
But, as you know, the Puritans of Massachusetts would allow no 
one to remain within their colony unless he belonged to the same 
church as themselves. 

Then other Quakers came, and you will read of several great 
men belonging to this sect. 

They had a way of always wearing their hats in the pres- 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 57 

ence of the magistrates, and gave a number of reasons for doing 
so, none of which, however, made it less pohte. I am almost 
ashamed to tell you that the Massachusetts Puritans turned all 
the Quakers that could be found out of the colony. Then very 
severe laws were passed to prevent their coming back. If a 
Quaker returned after being expelled, he was to be whipped and 
to have one ear cut off. If he returned a second time, the other 
ear was to go. If he returned a third time, his tongue was to 
be bored with a red-hot iron. 

Still the Quakers came back, and were whipped, and lost their 
ears without seeming the least discouraged. Then the Puritans, 
who never gave up an idea once adopted, resolved to put some 
of them to death. Two men and a woman — Mary Dyar — were 
found guilty and sentenced to death. They blessed God, and 
were led to execution on the Boston Commons. The two men 
were hanged. 

But the magistrates thought the fright would cure a woman, 
so, after fastening the rope around her neck, they gave her a 
pardon, and sent her away. The moment she was at liberty she 
returned to Boston, and began to act as before. Then the magis- 
trates took this brave woman and hanged her, for no other reason 
than that she was a Quaker. 

After hanging one more Quaker, the Puritans began to think 
that there must be something wrong in their plan, it arlswered so 
badiy. They were a long time puzzled to see where the mistake 
could be, but at last hit upon a new plan. They made a number 
of very careful laws against the Quakers, but privately agreed not 
to carry them out. After this, when a magistrate was told of a 
Quaker, he pretended to be very deaf; and when he met one, he 
looked severely the other way so as not to see him. 

The Puritans of New England were also busy in other ways. 
In order that everyone in the colony should be able to read the 
Bible, they set up schools for children, and obliged every child to 
attend and be taught. You know that this is still the case in 
almost every portion of the United States; and most certainly 
nothing has done so much for the greatness and glory of this 
country as this plan of teaching every child to read. 



58 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Wherever you find a country falling to decay, or steeped in 
superstition, or ravaged by quarrels among its people, you may be 
sure that there the children are not taught to read; wherever they 
are taught to read you are sure to find energy, religion, power, 
happiness and freedom. 

William Penn. 

IN England, the numbers of Quakers kept increasing year after 
year. Common folks as well as people of wealth joined them. 
When they became better known they were respected. Al- 
though peculiar in speech and dress, they were honest, tem- 
perate, industrious and saving; they took care of their poor, minded 
their business, studied the Bible, obeyed the laws, and were pros- 
perous. Many were intelligent. There were only two things against 
them. They would not become soldiers, and would not take ofl 
their hats to noblemen or kings. 

Among those who joined them was Wilham Penn, a young, 
fine and handsome fellow. No woman had a gentler eye, or a milder 
expression; kindness beamed in his looks; there was an open frank- 
ness in his countenance which no one ever has who does not tell 
the truth. He was very rich, and had many friends at Court, his 
father having been a great admiral of the navy of England. 

When quite a boy, he had become a Quaker, and from that 
day to the end of his life his whole soul was given up to the 
interests of the Quakers. To them he gave his time, his money, 
his liberty. When a Quaker was in distress, Wilham Penn was 
always ready to relieve him; when the Quakers were persecuted, 
William Penn stood forth as their champion. Often thrown into 
prison in England, and even turned out of doors by his own 
father, on account of being a Quaker, he never yielded a hair's 
breadth; but, with gentle face and sweet expression, remained firm 
and undaunted. For a long time he had seen that the Quakers 
could not be happy in England, and that some new country must 
be found for them abroad. They had tried to settle in New 
England, and in Virginia, but persecution had followed them, and 
they were without a home. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



59 



It was then that Penn, with some other rich Quakers, bought 

New Jersey. , , r- j j 

It so chanced that the jolly King Charles the Second owed 

William Penn a large sum of money. As he never had any to 




William Penn. 

spare, and always spent more than the people of England would 
give him, the courtiers laughed at Penn when he spoke of the 
debt and were sure he would never get anythmg from the King. 
Penn, in his quiet, gentle may, begged over and over agam that 
the matter might be settled; and when the King was fairly worried 



6o STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

out of patience by his perseverance, proposed to let his majesty 
off if he would grant him a strip of land in America. 

This suited Charles perfectly. He was so pleased with the 
idea of paying his debts with lands which did not belong to him 
that he insisted on calling the tract he granted Pennsylvania, in 
spite of Penn's modest objections. He then gave Penn a charter 
for his new Province, and hurried back to his courtiers, his ladies, 
and his wine. 

There were a good many settlers — English, Dutch and Swedes 
• — in the country thus granted to Penn. To these he wrote a letter, 
as soon as he had obtained the charter, some passages of which 
deserve always to be remembered when the name of William 
Penn is mentioned. 

"My friends," it said, "these are to let you know that it 
hath pleased God in his providence to cast you within my lot and 
care. It is a business that, though I never undertook before, yet 
God hath given me an understanding of my duty and an honest 
mind to do it uprightly. You shall be governed by laws of your 
own making, and live a free, and, if you will, a sober and indus- 
trious people. I shall not usurp the right of any or oppress his 
person. " 

He was at this time no longer rich, having spent his money 
and run into debt to relieve suffering Quakers. But when several 
rich merchants came and offered him a large sum of money to 
grant them the sole right of trading with the Indians in his new 
province, he would not listen; his settlers, he said, should be free 
to trade and no one should interfere with them. 

Having gathered together all the Quakers who were willing 
to settle in America, he set sail with them and landed at New- 
castle, on the Delaware, in 1682. The ship had been seen at a 
great distance and the settlers, English, Dutch and Swedes, flocked 
down to the water's edge to meet him. They were all wild with 
joy to see their Quaker king, as they called Penn, and gave him 
a much heartier welcome than kings usually obtain from their 
subjects. Every one of them loved him already. Not very difff- 
cult, is it, for a wise ruler to gain the hearts of those over whom 
he governs? 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 6i 

In an open boat the Quaker king was rowed up the beautiful 
Delaware to the spot where the Schuylkill empties into it. 

"There," said Penn, "I will build my City of Brotherly 
Love." 

Penn's Honesty with the Indians. 

THERE were Indians in the neighborhood; Penn asked them 
to meet him on a certain day at a certain place. On the 
day fixed they came, chiefs and warriors, old men and 
young, and found William Penn beneath the spreading 
branches of a green elm tree. He spoke to them in his mild, 
gentle way and asked them to be the friends of his Quakers. He 
said he did not come to rob them of their lands or to make war 
on them, but to live in good-will and brotherhood by their side. 
Many more things he said in the same kindly strain, and the 
chiefs, touched by the strange tenderness of his words, promised 
solemnly that they would live in love with William Penn and his 
children as long as the sun and moon should endure 

In the summer after his arrival, Penn founded his City of 
Brotherly Love on the site he had chosen. I need not tell you 
that it was called Philadelphia and is now one of the greatest 
cities in the United States. 

Long before there were any streets, when only a few rude 
huts had been built and many of the early settlers slept in holes 
in the ground and in the hollow of trees, Penn summoned the 
people to meet him there and bade them make laws to govern 
themselves. They were so unused to liberty that at first they 
tried to evade the task and Penn was obliged to force them to 
become freemen. But they soon learned the value of freedom. 
When it became known in Europe that in the new Quaker 
province of Pennsylvania every man was free, not only to wor- 
ship God as he had a mind, but to make laws for himself 
with his fellow-citizens, and that there were no lords or royal 
governors there to persecute settlers, great crowds of people took 
ship and removed thither. All the summer immigrants came 
flocking up the Delaware and in three years Philadelphia became 
quite a large town, with a school and a printing press. 



62 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



William Penn spent the rest of his life in traveling backward 
and forward to Pennsylvania, doing good to the Quakers. When 
death overtook him at last, almost his last words were: 

"Mind poor friends in America." 




Old Elm, Boston Common. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 63 

Religious Troubles in America. 

/t RCHBISHOP LAUD, who was head of the Church of Eng- 
/ \ land, was appointed, with several others like him, a coun- 
J[J^ cil to set the colonies straight and make the people pray 
according to Laud, and not according to the Bible. At 
this the old Puritan spirit rose and the men of Massachusetts 
said they would not stand it. Though they were only a handful 
in comparison with the army of England and so poor that they 
had to borrow money to send an agent over to the King's court, 
they determined to resist the archbishop and among them raised 
six hundred pounds to buy powder and ball for the defense of 
Boston. But by the time they were ready to fight for their lib- 
erties, the archbishop and his friends had enough to do in Eng- 
land to take care of their own necks, and so nothing came of it. 

Afterward, the English Parliament — the one which is known 
in history as the Long Parliament, on account of its sitting so 
long and accomplishing so much — undertook to interfere with the 
United Colonies of New England and to make laws for them. 
Then the Puritans rebelled again. 

And the great and good men who sat in that Long Parliament, 
when they understood the true state of the matter and saw the 
bold face put upon it by the Puritans of New England, replied 
at once: 

"You are right; we will not interfere with you." 

Oh! If England had always had a Parliament .like that Long 
Parliament! 

The Dutch in America. 

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH, of whom you have heard so much, 
had a friend named Henry Hudson, a bold mariner like 
himself, who accompanied him on his first voyage to Vir- 
ginia. This Henry Hudson, after his return home, fell 
thinking of what he had seen and began to fancy that Columbus 
was right after all and that there must be an opening or passage 
somewhere in the continent of America through which ships could 
pass, and so take a short cut to China and the East Indies. He 



64 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

went about telling everyone this must be the case and found 
plenty of people to believe him. 

But when Hudson asked the English, to whom he told his 
story, to give him money to fit out a ship to find this passage, 
they one and all buttoned up their pockets and said they had 
none to spare. 

Then Hudson crossed over to Holland and told the same 
things there. Holland is a queer little country; it is flat and so low 
that the whole country would long ago have been swallowed up 
by the ocean had not the sturdy people built great walls of reeds, 
mud and stone to keep back the water. Holland is sometimes 
called the land of windmills, because there are so many of these 
about all over the country. Now, this little country was far ahead 
of .England in those days. Although there was hardly a stick of 
timber in the whole land, yet Holland built more ships than Eng- 
land had thought of. Their ships were on every sea, their cities 
were among the finest in Europe, their merchants rolled in wealth, 
their sailors were the boldest in the world. The idea of being the 
first to discover the new passage to China was quite to their 
taste, and without delay they gave Hudson a yacht called the Half 
Moon, with which he set sail for America. 

In due time the Half Moon came in sight of land, and coasted 
along the shore in search of the opening that was to lead to China. 
After much sailing, Hudson was sure he had found the inlet he 
was in search of. His ship lay at the place now called Sandy 
Hook. He sailed into the bay (which is now the Bay of New 
York), and saw both shores "pleasant with grass, and flowers, 
and goodly trees." Indians in canoes paddled out to meet him, 
and sold him oysters, and beans, and corn. 

Passing New York — which was then covered with wood — 
Hudson advanced up the river which bears his name till it 
became so shallow that the Half Moon could proceed no further. 
He then saw that this could not be the passage to China, and 
returned the way he came. 

On his way to Holland he touched at England, and the 
English, who by this time had repented of losing so bold a sailor, 
would not allow him to leave them again. They fitted him out 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



65 



a ship, and he sailed away, for the fourth time in his adventurous 
life, always with the old idea of finding a passage to China. 

This time he found his way into Hudson's Bay — so called 
after him — and felt certain he was right at last. But he sailed 
round and round the shores of the bay and could find no opening 
but the one through which he had come. Winter overtook him, 




Emigrants Going to America. 

and his ship was frozen up in the ice. When spring came, the 
ice melted, and his ship set sail homeward. On the way, the 
sailors, who were a brutal set of men, and blamed Hudson for 
what they had suffered during the long winter, set him adrift on 
the ocean with his little son and seven others. 

It is very sad to think that so brave a man as Henry Hudson 
must have perished miserably in the ice, or starved to death in 
his small boat on the wide ocean. 

But his voyage was not in vain. When the English refused 
to let him go to Holland, he wrote a long account of what he 
had seen — of the beautiful lands, and the goodly trees, and the 



66 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



noble river up which he had sailed — and sent it to the Dutchmen 
who had given him the Half Moon. 

The Dutch had sense enough to see that though they had 
not found the passage to China, Hudson had discovered new 
countries to which they might trade with great advantage. Ships 
were dispatched to the spot, and brotight home large cargoes 
of furs. 

The Dutch were very shrewd at buying and selling, and it is 
Hkely they always got the best of their bargains with the Indians, 




^*'*V|t;Ei:'«i1ii^3^ 



Pishing. 

who were simple. It is said that they bought their furs by the 
pound, and, having no weights like ours, they persuaded the In- 
dians that a Dutchman's hand weighed exactly one pound and his 
foot two. You may believe this or not, as you like; it is certain 
that they bought their furs very cheap. 

As traders and sailors they excelled the English. They 
bought the island of Manhattan of the Indians for about twenty- 
four dollars — not very mu,ch for an island, which, as you know, is 
now worth millions and millions. Wherever they saw a strip of 
land or an island that suited them they bought it, and gave the 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 67 

Indians a string of beads, or a bit of ribbon, or a tobacco-pipe 
for it. 

After a time farmers, with their wives and children, began to 
arrive from Holland, and settled on Long Island, on the Jersey 
shore, and on Manhattan Island. Some very enterprising Dutch- 
men had farms in the woods and swamps, through which Broad- 
way now runs, and let their cows and pigs run wild where the 
City Hall stands. 

All the way from the Connecticut River to the Delaware, and 
up the Hudson as far as Albany, these Dutch had little settle- 
ments, sometimes only a house where lived an Indian trader, 
sometimes a farm with a few families. 

A Catholic Colony in Maryland. 

/IBOUT the same time another colony was founded, which 
/ \ likewise grew to be one of the United States. This was 
lY Maryland, so called after the unhappy Henrietta Maria, 
Queen of England. 

The bigoted English bishops were the cause of its settle- 
ment, for they were determined to force 
every Englishman to believe the things they 
believed, and go to their churches, and help 
pay their clergymen, and they soon made 
the land too hot for all but their own fol- 
lowers. 

They were harsh in their dealings with 
the Roman Catholics, whom they persecuted 
in a variety of cruel and foolish ways. For 
a time the Catholics bore their sufferings in *'"'■' Baltimore. 

patience, but at last began to think of seeking peace abroad. 

One of the King's ministers, Lord Baltimore, was at heart a 
Catholic, but for many years kept his belief to himself. All at 
once, in the midst of the persecution, the conscience of this honor- 
able man smote him for his deception, and he openly avowed his 
creed, and resigned his high offices. 

From that time he devoted himself to finding a refuge for 




68 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

the Roman Catholics, and spent all his fortune in the work. First 
he tried Newfoundland, but the climate was too severe, and the 
land too poor. He then turned his thoughts to the region which 
lay between Virginia and New England, and made two voyages 
thither to find a suitable place for settlement. 

Before he had planted his colony this good man died; but 
his sons took up the scheme, and one of them set sail from Eng- 
land with about two hundred Catholics, in two vessels called the 
Ark and the Dove. 

They sailed up the Chesapeake Bay into the Potomac River, 
and found on the north bank an Indian village, surrounded by 
fine fields of Indian corn. One of them proposed to the Indians to 
buy the whole village for his party. His offer was accepted, and 
the red men, laden with tools and presents of various kinds, cheer- 
fully resigned their homes to the new settlers, and moved higher 
up the river. 

It is a little remarkable that this settlement was almost the 
only English one in America which did not suffer from cold or 
disease or famine.. From the first day of their arrival, the Catho- 
lics of Maryland found themselves nearly as well off, and as com- 
fortable, as they were at home. 

Swedish Colony in America. 

THE famous Queen of Sweden, Christina, seeing all the other 
nations of Europe dividing America between them, thought 
Sweden should have its share, and sent out two ships with 
Swedes to see what they could do. They sailed up Dela- 
ware Bay, and finding pleasant places for settlement at its head, 
planted a small colony there. 

The Dutch had a settlement on the same river, and at first 
were furious with the Swedes for coming. They tried the old 
plan of firing a long proclamation, with tremendous words in it, 
at the Swedes, but it didn't answer, so the Dutch made their 
minds up to bear it. 

After a time it was the Swedes' turn to be jealous of the 
Dutch. The Swedish commander, a very cunning soldier, hit 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 69 

upon a plan for seizing the Dutch fort. He sent word to the 
Dutch Governor that on a certain day he would pay him a friendly 
visit. 

Now the Dutch were always famed for their good eating; and 
as he liked nothing so well as a grand dinner, with plenty of 
eatables and plenty of drinkables, and plenty of smoking after- 
ward, the Dutch Governor made great preparations to feast his 




Going to America. 

Swedish neighbors. When the Swedes came, therefore, they all 
sat down, and the Dutchmen began to stuff themselves and to 
drink great goblets of beer, and wine, and brandy. The cunning 
Swedes pretended to eat and drink as well; but they took care 
not to empty their goblets. When they saw the Dutch Governor 
and his chief men so drunk they could not walk, and could hardly 
stand, they all rose up at once and seized the fort, and pulled 
down the Dutch flag and hoisted the Swedish one in its place. 

When the news of this trick reached Fort Amsterdam, it 
created, as you may fancy, a tremendous uproar. The Governor 



70 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

at that time was a fierce old soldier, with a wooden leg, whose 
name was Peter Stuyvesant. He flew into a great rage, and said 
he would not leave a Swede alive in America. As he was not 
only a man of words but a man of deeds, who liked nothing better 
than shooting and slashing, he soon collected an army of Dutch- 
men and sailed straight to where the Swedes were. 

By this time the cunning Swedish commander was rather sorry 
for what he had done, and went out to meet terrible Peter Stuy- 
vesant, who was stumping on as fast as he could with his wooden 
leg. Peter Stuyvesant was too angry to talk much; he told the 
Swedes they must submit to the Dutch, and hoist the Dutch flag, 
and call themselves Dutch and not Swedes any longer, or else he 
would knock their heads off instantly. The Swedes tried to argue, 
but it was of no use; so being unable to resist so large an army 
as Peter Stuyvesant's, they submitted to whatever he required. 
And this was the end of New Sweden in America. 

Indian Troubles. 

T'XP to this time, 1634, the Indians had lived peaceably with 
I their white neighbors in New England; had brought them 
y^ furs, and game, and fish, and received in exchange hoes, 
and cloth, and useful articles for their wigwams. 

When the winter was longer than usual, and the red men of 
the woods had exhausted their stock of food, they went to the 
houses and villages of the whites, and were hospitably entertained; 
and in the same way, when the New Englanders were benighted, 
or lost their way in the forests, they were sure of a warm fire 
and a supper in the wigwam of the Indian chiefs. 

But they did not long remain friends. Privately the Indians 
were jealous of the new-comers, who built themselves houses and 
laid out farms on the borders of every flowing river, and raised 
finer crops, and were in every way so much more comfortable 
than the old dwellers in the land. 

Many a chief, I dare say, sighed when he thought of the 
noble hunting-grounds of his people, which were in the possession 
of strangers, and his eye flashed when he saw the white smoke 
curling out of tlieir cottage chimneys. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



The Pequots. 



71 



THESE savage thoughts were nursed by none more than by 
the fierce tribe of Pequots, who spread all over the country 
from Providence, Rhode Island, to the Connecticut River. 
While they were brooding over them, a Virginian sailor, 
named Stone, sailed up the Connecticut in a small vessel to trade. 
Some say that Stone, who was a wild, quarrelsome sort of fellow, 
attacked the Indians first, which is quite likely to have been the 
case. Whether it was his fault or the Indians', a fight ensued. 




stockade of a Pioneer Settlement. 



To revenge themselves on Stone, the savages stole into his 
cabin, when he slept, and murdered him and all his crew, and 
covered up their bodies with dirt and rubbish. 

When the news reached New England, the people were much 
alarmed and endeavored to quell the trouble. 

But if the men of New England knew how to avenge an in- 
jury, the Pequots knew better. All along the Connecticut River 
they assembled in small bodies, and when they saw a man walk- 
ing or working in his field alone they murdered him. Sometimes 
they would attack a lonely house at night, kill the men and carry 
off the women and children into a slavery worse than death. 



72 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Several of their chiefs, not satisfied with this vengeance, pro- 
posed to the chiefs of the Narragansetts, another powerful tribe, 
to form a league against the white men and cut them off alto- 
gether. 

The scheme having come to the ears of Roger Williams, that 
lion-hearted man resolved at once to defeat it. Setting out alone. 




Indian Wigwams. 



in dreadful weather, in his canoe, he paddled all day and never 
rested till he reached the wigwam of the head chief of the Narra- 



gansetts. 



Entering the wigwam, the first persons he saw were the 

t^ry Pequot chiefs who had proposed to form the league. 

They were at that moment talking about it to the Narragansett 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



73 



chief. The white man's blood was still clotted on their knives, 
showing that they had recently done mischief by putting some 
innocent man to death. They apparently had no regrets or no 
misgivings. The fiendish look was still on their faces. They 
glared fiercely at Williams as he entered, as if to say that they 





A Fight with Indians. 

were sure at all events of one scalp more. But Roger Williams 
feared no one. He had pondered well before coming, and know- 
ing he was on the side of right he went at his duty unflinchingly 
and without deception or diplomacy. He sat him down by his 
old friends, who had formerly saved his life in the woods, and 
began to argue against the proposals of the Pequots as calmly as 
if he had been sitting in his own house. 

Three days and three nights he staid in the wigwam answer- 



74 ^^ TORIES FR OM A M ERIC A X If IS TOR Y. 

ing the Pequots and pleading the cause of those who, as you 
remember, had driven him so harshly from Boston. Every 
night when he lay down to sleep he knew he might be waked by 
a stab from a Pequot knife or a sudden stroke from a Pequot 
hatchet and that he was quite alone and defenseless. But he 
put implicit trust in God and never once thought of his own 
safety. 

On the fourth day the Narragansetts decided. They said they 
would not join the Pequots. Roger Williams had won the victory. 
With a savage scowl, the Pequot chiefs slunk back to their 

tribe. 

At last, all the colonies united and raised a small army. 
There was a great battle in which over seven hundred of the 
Pequots were killed. The few that were left were so weak and 
so powerless they were unable to defend themselves. Every wig- 
wam was burned, every Indian corn field laid waste. So thoroughly 
was the work done that in a short time there was not a Pequot to 
be found in all the land. 

Indians never forget an injury. Their sly and treacherous 
natures are shown even in a little thing like the following. 

The Snake=Skin. 

NEAR ..the Plymouth colony there lived two Indian tribes, one 
of which hated the white men. The chief of this savage 
tribe sent a bundle of arrows wrapped in a rattlesnake's 
skin to Plymouth — which was the Indian way of declaring 
war. The Governor, William Bradford, an undaunted man, filled the 
skin with gunpowder and balls and sent it back. They say that 
the Indians fancied these balls and powder were fatal charms and 
were frightened by them. But I think it very likely that the bold 
face and firm voice of the Governor and the other pilgrims had 
something to do with their fright. At all events, the Indians 
thought better of the matter and made no attack. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 75 

Massasoit's Illness. 

MASSASOIT, the chief of the other tribe, was always friendly. 
He fell ill and Winslow, one of the pilgrims, went to see 
him. He found the chief surrounded by strange fellows of 
his own tribe, who called themselves pow-wows and fancied 
they could cure diseases by screeching and howling and wrig- 
gling their bodies in a ridiculous manner. When Winslow saw 
this he took the pow-wows by the shoulders and pushed them 
out of the wigwam; then kneeling beside the chief, gave him 
medicine and soon cured him. 

Massasoit was so grateful for this that he revealed to Wins- 
low a plot that had been formed among the Indians to surprise 
and massacre a party of white men who had settled in Massa- 
chusetts Bay at a place called Weymouth. So a messenger was 
sent to warn the people, and as a result the Indians were severely 
punished and taught a lesson. 

King Philip's War. 

/i FTER the death of Massasoit and forty years after the Pe- 
/ 1 quot War, King Philip, the Indian chief, made war upon the 
_27jL-^*^^°^^^^- "We shall have no lands left us," said Philip. 
"Every year these white men come and build homes in our 
land, every year we are pushed farther and farther back. There- 
fore let us destroy these settlements one and all." 

The first attack was made upon the little village of Swan- 
sey. These simple villagers were assembled at church. 

As they came slowly out into the bright, warm sunlight, 
thinking, no doubt, about the goodness of life, suddenly there rose 
upon the still air the much-dreaded Indian war-whoop. 

Suddenly out from the trees and rocks rushed the angry red 
men, brandishing their tomahawks and yelling with rage. 

An awful massacre followed — too horrible to relate. 

For a long time the war raged. It seemed sometimes as if 
the Indians would surely succeed in their purpose of slaying every 
man, woman and child in the colony. 



;6 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



But at last Philip himself was slain in battle and thus a 
death-blow was struck to -the horrible war. 

"Now," said the colonists, "if we can but find Annawon, 
King Philip's right hand man, and capture him, we shall be safe 



r. 




f////)'.>'-A'i|^\^v\^ty^; 






Taunting the Rescuers. 

again. With their leaders slain, these Indians will have no cour- 
age to carry on the war." 

Annawon had made his camp in a swamp where he supposed 
he was safe. 

But Captain Church, a brave Puritan solder, came upon Anna- 
won, asleep before his tent. 

So before he even knew the white men had come he was 
made their prisoner. 

"Now," said Captain Church, turning to the Indians, "there 
are hundreds of white men outside the camp, who at a signal 
from me will rush. in to destroy you. If, however, you surrender, 
and promise peace for the future, your lives shall be spared." 

"We surrender," said the Indians. Thus ended King Phil- 
ip's War, one of the longest and most awful of all the Indian 
wars. When at last King Philip and Annawon were conquered you 
be sure it was a happy day among the colonists. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



77 



Georgia. 

IN England there lived, one hundred and seventy years ago, 
a brave and humane gentleman, whose name was James 
Oglethorpe. He had been a soldier, and had fought valiantly 

in the wars. 

At this time a foolish idea prevailed in England — so foolish 
that it would seem almost laughable, if it were possible to laugh 
at so grave a wrong. It was this. 
When a man owed money and 
could not pay, it was supposed 
that the best way of making him 
pay was to shut him up in prison. 
You and I know well enough that 
when a man is locked up, and can- 
not go and work, it is not very 
easy for him to earn money; and 
if we had a debtor and wanted 
him to pay us, we should think 
it better to give him as much 
liberty as possible, and so put 
him in the way of earning what 
he could. But this was not un- 
derstood by the English. And as 
there were a great many hard- 
hearted creditors in England, the 
prisons were full of poor debtors. 

When good James Oglethorpe 
began to visit them and turned his 
whole thoughts to the subject, and 
finding that it would take too 
long — if, indeed, it was at all pos- 
sible — to make the prisons what 
they ought to be, he resolved to find some new country whither 
poor debtors and unhappy prisoners might flee for a refuge. 

The King — George the Second — granted him what he asked 
without scruple or hesitation. He gave him and his friends a wide 




78 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

tract of land between South Carolina and Spanish Florida, and 
named it Georgia, after himself, of course. 

It is delightful, after all the horrible Indian trouble, to think 
of the friendly way in which these Indians welcomed Oglethorpe. 
One of the chiefs went to his tent, bearing a large buffalo skin, 
on the inside of which an eagle was painted, and said: 

"The feathers of the eagle are soft, and signify love; the 
buffalo skin is warm, and is the emblem of protection. Therefore 
love and protect our little families." A very pretty speech, is it 
not? 

As soon as the town of Savannah was laid out, and people in 
Europe heard of the beautiful climate of Georgia, and the wise 
manner in which Oglethorpe ruled the colony, many poor persons 
from Germany and Switzerland, as well as Scotland and England, 
came to live there. 

He drew up laws for his people and stipulated that no rum 
should be allowed there, and that any sale of it to the Indians 
should be punished as one of the greatest of crimes. 

He also forbade the people holding slaves. He believed this 
was not right. 

For a time the settlement prospered, then came discontent. 
The people wanted the very things which their wise leader had 
declared they should not have. 

They wrote letters to the King of England making all sorts 
of complaints against their leader, until at last Oglethorpe re- 
turned to England and soon demolished his accusers, and proved 
that he was in the right and they in the wrong; but he never re- 
turned to Georgia. 

When the twenty-one years had passed for which Oglethorpe 
and his companions had been given permission to hold this land 
in Georgia, their charter was given back to King George. Georgi; 
then belonged to England; and as England cared very little wh 
the colonists in Georgia or in any other colony did, they wer> 
now free to have their slaves and as much strong drink as they 
liked. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 79 

The Jesuits. 

WHILE Englishmen were landing and planting colonies, and 
founding cities all along the coast — from Maine to Caro- 
lina — the French were as busy on the river St. Lawrence. 
With the first traders came Roman Catholic priests, in 
great numbers, hoping to convert the Indians to Christianity. 

These were chiefly Jesuits. They prosecuted that work with 
great energy, and zeal and courage. They endured hunger, thirst, 
cold and cruel torture with cheerfulness, in their great work. 

One of these was Father Jogues, who traveled away through 
the Indian country as far as the great lakes, teaching and baptizing 
the red men. The Hurons were his friends; but the fierce Mo- 
hawks, who hated the Hurons, hated the French likewise. As he 
was traveling up the St. Lawrence, a band of Mohawks caught 
him. When he was nearly dead, they sold him to the Dutch. 

Very few men, I think, having once escaped out of the hands 
of these savages, and with their bodies covered with the scars, 
and bruises, and burns they had inflicted, would have run the same 
risks again. But when the French in Canada wanted a priest to 
go among the Mohawks to try to convert them, Jogues offered to 
go, and went, saying as he left: 

'T am going away, and I shall never come back." 

He had scarcely arrived at their village when they foolishly 
accused him of having spoiled their harvest. He knew what they 
meant. Smiling, and trusting in God, he walked to the wigwam 
of the chief, but was struck dead the moment he entered. 

Many others, whose stories it would take too long to tell, 
perished in the same miserable way. But those who remained 
were as bold as ever. As soon as one of these priests had con- 
verted a few Indians, he established a little fort or village, an^ re- 
sided there among them. In this way many of the states of this 
Union were first peopled by white men. 

In 1666 another priest paddled up the Ottawa, crossed ovei 
into Lake Huron, and again paddled to the Falls of St. Mary's, 
at the mouth of Lake Superior, where he established a little fort 



8o STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

— the first white settlement within the present State of Michigan. 
Other priests in the same way settled in Illinois. Wherever they 
set up forts, they claimed the country for the King of France. 

La Salle. 

THE greatest of these French travelers was named La Salle. 
He had been formerly a Jesuit, but had become a trader, 
and had built a fort on Lake Ontario, at a place called 
Frontenac, where the city of Kingston, in Canada, now 
stands. Hearing stories of a great river flowing through rich and 
fertile meadows in the west, and being a man of a roving and 
adventurous disposition, he set out with several companions to 
explore it. 

On Lake Erie he built himself a small sailing vessel, and 
sailed westward into Lake Huron, where he bought furs of the 
Indians. In canoes he roved round Lakes Huron and Michigan, 
and planted a fort at Mackinaw about the year 1680. 

In a storm his vessel was lost. His men lost heart. The 
Indians began to be unfriendly. But La Salle was a man of 
iron, and never flinched. With only three companions he set out 
on foot, without provisions, to find his way back to Fort Fron- 
tenac. It took him a year to go and return; but at the end of 
the year he was again on the banks of the Illinois River, as bold 
as ever. Down the stream into the Mississippi he floated, and 
the current bore him gently southward, through the most beauti- 
ful country he had ever seen, until at last he reached the mouth 
of the great river in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Louis the XIV. was at that time King of France, and in 
honor of him La Salle named the country through which he had 
passed Louisiana. He went to France to tell what he had seen, 
and the King gave him several ships with a large number of set- 
tlers to people the new country. 

But the day of misfortune had come. His ships missed the 
mouth of the Mississippi and landed in Texas. Then a storm 
destroyed their stores, and some of the Frenchmen, disgusted and 
heartsick, went on board the ships and sailed back home. With 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 8i 

those who remained La Salle built a fort, which he named St. 
Louis. But they soon began to quarrel among themselves; many 
of them died, and all were jealous of La Salle. He never lost 
courage. Over and over again he started out with one or two 
companions to try to find the Mississippi; but each time he 
returned ragged and sore, without having found it. 

At last he made up his mind to go to Canada, and set out 
with sixteen men on foot. Two of these men hated La Salle, and 
on the journey laid a dark plot to murder him. 

This was the sad end of the white man who sailed down the 
Mississippi. 

French and Indian Wars. 

IT would have been a happy thing if these Jesuits — who were 
so courageous and devoted that one cannot help admiring 
them — had been as tolerant as the Bible teaches us we should 

be. Unfortunately, there was at this time a great deal of 
blundering in the world about religion, and very few people indeed 
understood what Christ's Gospel really meant. The Protestants 
of Maryland, you remember, wanted to persecute the Catholics; 
the Puritans persecuted Roger Williams and the Quakers; and the 
first thing the Jesuits of Canada did, when they converted the 
Indians, was to get up a persecution of the Protestants. 

A war breaking out between the King of England and the 
King of France, they set to work zealously, and secretly stirred 
up the Indians to attack the English settlers. 

A bitter war now opened up between the French, aided by 
the Indians, on one side, and the English, aided by her colonies, 
on the other. 

The French in America began to think of securing themselves 
in such a way that they could not be driven out by the English. 
The plan to do this, they thought, was to send officers to all 
parts of the country where the English had not settled, to dio- 
holes in the ground and bury leaden plates with the French arms 
engraven thereon, and to nail some of the same plates on the 
trees. The meaning of these plates, buried and nailed up, was 
that the King of France was the rightful sovereign of the country 



82 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



where they were. So they buried plates all through the west, 
and along the Ohio and Illinois rivers. 

In this way the King of France came to claim a great deal 

more land in x\merica than the English did. He had a fort at 







'CW^^^^ 






few 



Capture of a White Child. 

Cape Breton; others were scattered along the St. Lawrence, at 
Quebec and at Montreal, and he had others at Niagara, at Detroit, 
and at Mackinaw. On the Mississippi, New Orleans had already 
been founded by French settlers, and other forts or trading posts 
stretched up the river to Natchez and beyond. Wherever the 
French had the least little bit of a fort or a trading post they 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



S3 



claimed the country far and wide for miles around. And thus, 
as you will see on looking at the map, the dominions of the 
French King were like a monstrous bow, of which the English 
colonies along the shore of the ocean were the string. 

There were ten times as many people in the English as in the 
French settlements; but the French were very fond of fighting, 







A Fear that the Baby might be Stolen. 

very jealous of the English, and very anxious to be masters of 
the whole continent. 

A,t this time a number of English traders started to plant a 
new colony on the borders of the Ohio. 

The French sent them word that they could not stay there, 
that being the territory of the French King. But the people of 
Virginia said, on the contrary, that the territory was theirs, and 
they would not give it up. 

When the French sent a party of soldiers, took the English 
prisoners, and carried them to their fort on Lake Erie, it enraged 
all the English colonies and England as well. 

The Governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddle, sent a message 



84 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

to the French that the prisoners must be surrendered. To be the 
bearer of this message he chose a young man of twenty-one years 
of age, who was a surveyor by trade. His name was George 
Washington. 

Young George Washington. 

ON the twenty-second day of February, 1732, George Wash- 
ington was born in a plain, old-fashioned house in Virginia. 
He grew to be a tall boy, could run swiftly, and was a 
powerful wrestler. The stories of the long jumps he made 
are almost beyond belief, and it was said that he could throw 
farther than any other boy. When only eleven years old his 
father died, but he had a good mother, who trained him to. be 
manly and noble. 

The people of that day went everywhere on horseback, and 
George was not afraid to get astride of the wildest horse. He 
was a strongly built and fearless boy. But a better thing is told 
of him. He was so just that his schoolmates used to bring their 
quarrels for him to settle. 

The food of people in the woods was mostly wild game. 
Every man did his own cooking, toasting his meat on a forked 
stick and eating it off a chip. Washington led this rough life for 
three years. It was a good school for a soldier. Here he made 
his first acquaintance with the Indians. When only nineteen the 
governor of Virginia made him a major of a militia. He took 
lessons m military drill from an old soldier, and practiced sword 
exercises under instruction of a teacher. 

When the governor decided to send an officer to warn the 
French that they were on English ground, is it any wonder he 
sent George Washington? He was ready, this brave young major, 
and knew both the woods and the ways of the Indians. After 
crossing swollen streams and rough mountains, he got over to the 
Ohio River, where all was wilderness; then he called the Indians 
together and had a talk with them. He got a chief and some 
other Indians to go with him to the French fort. 

The French officers had no intention of giving up their fort 
to the English. They liked this brave and gentlemanly young 




A Brave Charg-e. 



85 



86 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Major Washington and entertained him well, but tried to get the 
Indians to desert him, and did all they could to keep him from 
getting safe home again. Part of the way home they traveled in 




Washington's Home fit. Vernon. 

canoes, often jumping out into the icy water to lift the canoes over 
shallow places. 

When reaching the place where he was to leave the Indians 
and recross the mountains, his packhorses were found too weak 
for work. So Washington gave up his saddle-horse to carry 
baggage. Then he strapped a pack on his back, shouldered his 
gun, and, with his companion and a guide, started home. The 
Indian guide was a rascal. When Washington was tired the guide 
wished to carry his gun for him, but the young major thought 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS 87 

the gun safer in his own hands. At length, as evening came on, 
from behind a tree, the Indian leveled his gun and fired on 
Washington and his companion, the ball just grazing the major's 
body. Afraid of being attacked, they now traveled night and 
day till they got to the Alleghany River. They spent the night 
on an island in the river, and got ashore in the morning by 
walking on the ice. Washington bought a horse here, and soon 
got back to the colonies, where the story of his adventures was 
told from one plantation to another, producing great excitement. 
The people of Virginia now knew that the French were 
determined to fight, and the Governor of Virginia quickly prepared 
for war. 

General Braddock. 

THE King of England resolved to send soldiers to America to 
fight the French. He chose General Braddock, a very brave 
but conceited and headstrong man, to be their leader. 
Braddock was eager for the fight, and made quite sure 
of victory. He said he would take Fort Duquesne, on the Ohio 
River; then he would march to Niagara, and take the French fort 
there; then sail to Fort Fontenac, where he would rest a while. 

When Benjamin Franklin advised him to beware of the In- 
dians, he laughed at the idea. He said Indians might be danger- 
ous to the men of America, but that his English soldiers would 
make short work of them. 

The French sent out a party to meet him. They met a 
short distance from the fort, and the battle commenced in the 
middle of a wood. For a short while Braddock's soldiers fought 
bravely; but very soon the warhoop of the Indians began to 
terrify them, and the Indian plan of hiding behind trees and firing 
without showing themselves puzzled them completely. They fired 
their guns without taking aim, and one by one lost courage and 
ran away. 

Washington, who was aid-de-camp to Braddock, had two 
horses killed under him and four balls in his coat. An Indian 
chief, who had fired at him several times, at last threw down his 
gun and cried that some great spirit must be guarding him. 



88 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

The battle was won by the French, and Braddock's Enghsh 
soldiers fled like sheep. Braddock himself was shot in the side. 
He never spoke for a whole day after the battle. Then, turning 
to his officers, he said, "Who would have thought it?" 

Braddock was carried from the field, and soon died. He 
was buried in the woods by torchlight; and on the margin of the 
grave, with sorrowing officers around him, Washington read the 
solemn funeral service of the Church of England. Then all 
the troops went back to their homes. 

A far gloomier scene, however, and more shameful than the 
running away of Braddock's soldiers, was witnessed that same 
year. 

Burning of Acadia. 

NOVA SCOTIA, or Acadia, as it was then called, belonged 
to the English; but there were living there a great many 
of the old French settlers with their families. They were 
called neutrals; that is to say, they had promised not to 
fight against the English, on the one hand, and, on the other, 
they declared they would not serve against their old countrymen, 
the French. They were mostly quiet, orderly people, very simple 
in their customs and ideas, loving their churches and their priests, 
and seeking no harm to anyone. 

The English, however, fearing that they might by and by 
be persuaded to join the French forces, made up their minds to 
break up this village and scatter the people. This was a cruel 
deed, and one for which there is no excuse. 

One bright morning the English officers came into the village 
and demanded that the people be gathered in their village churches. 
When they had entered, soldiers surrounded the buildings, and 
the French were told that they were to be carried off in ships to 
the British colonies. 

You may fancy how horrible a thing it was to be torn away 
from one's home and one's farm, and to be thrown on shore in 
some strange country without a friend in the world, or any means 
of earning one's bread. 

On the tenth of September, the exiles were made to embark, 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



89 



the young men first, the old men next, and before the turn of the 
women and children came the ships were full, and sailed away. 

The women and children threw themselves at the feet of the 
British soldiers, and prayed wildly to be sent where their friends 
had gone. 

Day after day, week after week, and month after month 




Indians Attacking: a Pioneer Settlement. 

passed, and no ships came. On the cold seashore, in holes in 
the rocks or in the sand, the poor creatures shivered and wept. 
Fn^m the desolnte clifTs the men could see the '^ni'],-, 

ij 111 ;ir ■.)ld il<)iljc.->, . 1: .. . .1^ SOidli S ii.ici >(.'L > 

vent the Acadians coming back again, and thcv knew they ii<icl 
henceforth no home in this world. Many mothers, too, robbed 
of their husbands and their sons, lay stiff and stark when the 



90 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

soldiers came at last to say that the ships were there, and they 
must go. 

They were all exiled. Some went to Massachusetts, some to 
Connecticut, some to Pennsylvania, some to Virginia, some to the 
Carolinas, and some to Georgia. Fathers and sons, husbands and 
wives were separated, and never again found each other in this 
world. When they were landed they found themselves in a strange 
country, where their language was not understood. But God, who 
is just, beheld their sorrows from on high. 

Wolfe and Montcalm. 

THE French were low in spirits and in bad condition. They 
had always been outnumbered by the English; and during 
the winter they had suffered dreadfully from famine — all the 
farmers having spent the year in fighting instead of sowing 
the fields. 

But their leader, Moncalm, never quailed. He wrote to the 
King of France that the people of Canada were sorely tried, and 
wanted peace very badly; but, having done this, he prepared to 
fight as bravely as if he had been sure of victory. 

Quebec is, as you know, one of the strongest places in the 
world. The rock on which it stands rises out of the St. Law- 
rence to a towering height; and Wolfe, when he sailed up to 
attack the city, saw, that to reach it, he must either climb the 
heif^hts on one side, or ford a river on the other. Both were very 
difficult operations. He had said, however, when he left England, 
that he would either conquer or die in the attempt; and he meant 
to keep his word. 

On the last day of July he gave orders for the attack. But 
fortune was against him. Some of his boats ran aground and the 
French destroyed them. When his men landed, Montcalm ordered 
a fire, which threw them into confusion, and before they could 
be rallied night came on. 

This reverse did not discourage Wolfe in the least. He sent 
word to General Amherst, who was at Crown Point, to come 
directly to assist him; and day after day, for weeks, he watched 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



91 



for his coming, but Amherst never stirred. Then a fever seized 
him, and his teeth chattered so that he could hardly speak, and 
he knew he had but a short time to live. But his resolution to 
take Quebec never faltered. 

He moved most of his troops some miles above the city, and 
pretended to be meditating a landing there. Some of his ships 




Wolfe's Cave. 



— commanded by the famous sailor Captain Cook— he ordered to 
sail to and fro below the city, so that the French might expect 
him there, too. 

Then, at the dead of night, on the twelfth of September, he 




92 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

dropped down the river in boats with muffled oars, and landed 
opposite a narrow path leading up the cliffs. There was only 
room for two men to walk abreast in the path; and often the 
soldiers were obliged to seize hold of branches and roots of trees 
to drag themselves up. But at last they all reached the heights 
above, and a messenger ran in haste to Montcalm to say the 
English were close to the city. He would not believe it at first; 
but when he saw the flags waving in the distance he ordered his 
men to march to the attack. 

Battle of Quebec. 

^HE battle of Quebec began on the thirteenth of September. 
It was long and bloodly; but in the end the French gave 

way. Brave Wolfe had been in the thick of the fight, and 

had been wounded twice. At last a ball struck him in the 
breast, and he would have fallen but for an officer who caught 
him in his arms. As he sank exhausted, some one cried, 

"Ah! they run." 

Wolfe raised his drooping head and asked, 

' ' Who run ? " 

The officer answered, 

"The French run on every side." 

"Then," said the dying hero, "God be praised, I die 
happy!" 

Almost at the same moment an English ball struck the gallant 
Montcalm, and he fell. A surgeon running to him, he asked how 
long he would live. The surgeon replied, 

"Ten or twelve hours, or perhaps less." 

"So much the better," said the noble Frenchman, "I shall 
not live to see the surrender of Quebec." And turning to one (^f 
his officers: "To you, sir, I commit the honor of France." 

In the middle of a pretty garden in the city of Quebec, the;c 
stands a tall column which can be seen from a great distanc'\ 
There is no ornament of any kind about it; nothing but the plain 
stones laid one above another, and rising into the air. The rain 
and snow patter against it, and the east wind whistles round it 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 93 

on the cold winter nights. On one side of that column is inscribed 
the name of Wolfe; on the other, Montcalm. I do not know 
where to look for a monument that bears the names of two 
braver men. In England in the armor room of the London 
Tower is kept the faded blanket upoii which General Wolfe 




nontcalm. 

breathed his last. During the French and Indian war many ter- 
rible battles were fought, and thousands upon thousands of brave 
men were killed on both sides. At last the British and the 
colonists won. Peace was made, and England now owned the 
land. 




94 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



95 



Benjamin Franklin. 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was third to the oldest of a family 
of seventeen children. He was born in Boston in 1706. He 
learned to read when young, although he attended school 
only two years. When ten years old he helped his father, 
who made his living by boiling soap and making tallow candles. 
Little Benjamin had to cut wicks for the candles, fill the molds 

with the melted tallow, tend the shop, 
and run errands. 

Franklin and his playmates used 
to fish in a millpond which had a salt- 
marsh for a shore, so that the boys 
had to stand in the mud. He was a 
leader among the boys, and already 
very ingenious. One day he proposed 
that they should build a wharf in this 
marsh to stand on. Near the marsh 
was a pile of stones, put there to be 
used in building a new house. In the 
evening, when the workmen were gone, 
Franklin and the other boys tugged 
and toiled until they had managed to 
carry all these stones away and build 
them into a wharf. 
Next day the workmen were very surprised to find that their 
pile of stones had disappeared. They soon found out their where- 
abouts and complained to the parents of the boys. Benjamin 
tried to show his father that it was a useful work to build such a 
pier, but the father soon taught him that "nothing was useful 
that was not honest." 

Benjamin now became very fond of reading. He read his 
father's books, and sold some trinkets of his own to buy more. 
Being so fond of books his father concluded to make him a 
printer. So he was apprenticed to his older brother, who had a 
printing-office. Benjamin liked this trade, and learned rapidly. 
Going to bookstores often, he got a chance to borrow books. He 




Benjamin Franklin. 



96 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

sometimes sat up all night to read them, taking great care to 
return them in good condition. 

About this time, too, he suddenly rose into notice by writing 
short essays on various subjects, in the New Engla7id Courant, 
the only newspaper in New England. He told the truth, but he 
offended many persons, and they resolved to put him down. 

The House reprimanded him; and the great people in Boston 
would have nothing more to say to the Cotirant, which soon 
expired in consequence. Almost everybody said the boy was 
rightly served, and no one had a good word for him. Above all, 
his master, who was also his brother, though not very brotherly 
in his feelings, used to ill treat him in many ways. 

Wearied by this harsh usage, Franklin ran away to New 
York, in the hope of finding work there. He found none, and 
went on to Amboy. No work there; and on to Burlington, whence 
he rowed in a boat to Philadelphia. 

Here is a story of his journey as told by himself: 

"I have been the more particular in this description of my 
journey to Philadelphia, and shall be so of my first entry into 
that city, that you may in your mind compare such unlikely 
beginnings with the figures I have since made there. 

' ' I was in my working dress, my best clothes being to come 
round by sea. I was dirty from my journey; my pockets were 
stuffed out with shirts and stockings, and I knew no soul, or 
where to look for lodging. 

"I was fatigued with traveling, rowing, and want of rest; I 
was very hungry; and my whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch 
dollar, and about a shilling in copper. 

"The latter I gave the people of the boat for my passage, 
who at first refused it on account of my rowing; but I insisted 
on their taking it. A man is sometimes more generous when he 
has but a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps through 
fear of being thought to have but little. Then I walked up a 
street, gazing about, till near the market-house, I met a boy 
with bread. 

"I had made many a meal on bread, and, inquiring where 
he had bought it, I went immediately to the baker's he directed 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 97 

me to, in Second Street, and asked for biscuit, intending such as 
we had in Boston; but they, it seems, were not made in 
Philadelphia. 

"Then I asked for a threepenny loaf, and was told they had 
none such. So, not considering or knowing the difference of 
money, or the greater cheapness or the names of his bread, I 
bade him give me threepenny worth of any sort. 

*"He gave me, accordingly, three great, puffy rolls. I was 
surprised at the quantity, but took it, and, having no room in 
my pockets, walked off with a roll under each arm, and eating 
the other. 

"Thus I went up Market Street as far as Fourth Street, 
passing by the door of Mr. Reed, my future wife's father; when 
she, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I 
certainly did, a most awkward and ridiculous appearance. 

"I then turned and went down Chesnut Street, and part of 
Walnut Street, eating my roll all the way. Coming round I 
found myself again at Market Street wharf, near the boat I came 
in, to which I went for a draught of the river water; and being 
filled with one of my rolls, I gave the other two to a woman and 
her child who came down the river in the boat with us, and were 
waiting to go farther. 

"Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which by this 
time had many clean-dressed people in it who were all walking 
the same way. I joined them, and thereby was led into a great 
meeting-house of the Quakers, near the market. 

"I sat down among them, and, after looking round a while and 
hearing nothing said, being very drowsy through labor and want 
of rest the preceding night, I fell fast asleep, and continued so 
till the meeting broke up, when one was kind enough to rouse 
me. This was, therefore, the first house I was in, or slept in, in 
Philadelphia." 

This is the same Franklin that made the wonderful discoveries 
in electricity; he first made them by means of a kite with a small 
thread. In this way he found that he could "bring down the 
lightning." 

Later he opened a small printing-ofhce of his own. He went 
7 



98 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

in debt for his press and type. To pay for them, he worked 
night and day. Men saw him at work with his candle when they 
got up in the morning, and when they went to bed at night. 
When he wanted paper, he would take a cart and bring it from 
the store to his printing-office. 

People said, "What a hard-working young man that Franklin 
is! He is sure to get there!" And then, to help him on, they 
brought their work for him to do. 

He could write intelligently on almost any subject, so he 
started a newspaper, then the best one printed in all America. 

Franklin married the same Miss Deborah Reed, who laughed 
when she saw him walking the street with a roll under each arm^ 
several years previous. She helped in every way possible. They 
kept no servant, and ate their breakfast of plain bread and milk 
out of an earthen porringer with a pewter spoon. In time, 
FrankHn paid off his debts and began to lay up money. 

In those days books were scarce, but everybody bought an 

almanac once a year. Franklin published one of these. It was 

known as " Poor Richard's Almanac," because in among the matter 

hat is always found in almanacs, Franklin scattered all sorts of 

wise sayings" or proverbs. To these he gave the name "Poor 

vichard's Sayings." 

After Franklin's discovery of electricity he was soon considered 
one of the great men of the world, and was called Dr. Franklin. 

During the troubles between England and the colonies Dr. 
Franklin was the one sent to make peace. 

Later he was made a member of Congress, and helped to 
write the Declaration of Independence. When America wanted 
some other country to help them to fight against England, 
Franklin, who had studied French when he was a printer, was 
sent to France. 

The French Court was the finest in the world. Here in the 
midst of all the display and luxury he did not pretend to be 
anything more than he was in Philadelphia. The French admired 
his independent spirit and called him "the philosopher." 

Franklin was never dizzied by the flattering attention he 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



99 



received in these countries. He never forgot that he was there 
to plead for America; and plead he did, wisely and well. 

When at last he died, at the age of eighty-two, not only did 
twenty thousand of his own countrymen meet to do him honor in 
America, but in the English and French courts as well was every 
possible tribute paid to the memory of this great man. 



Sir Edmund Andros. 

SORROW and trouble were in store for the people of New 
England. They had grown prosperous and happy; their cities 
were large, and their trade extensive; King Charles began to 
be jealous of them. 

After he was seated on his throne, he sent word that they 
must give up trading with foreign nations and send all they had 
for sale to England. To see that this was done, he sent out an 

agent who began to seize the ves- 
sels of the Boston merchants. The 
men of Massachusetts, in their old 
stout fashion, would not stand such 
tyranny at first, and rebelled openly. 
But when the King threatened them 
with the loss of their charter, they 
submitted. 

In the vain hope of saving 
themselves, the people of Massa- 
chusetts sent bribes to the sordid 
King. They made him a present 
of Maine; then they loaded a ship 
with cranberries and other fruit for 
his table; and, finally, they sent 
him a round sum of money. They 
An Early Settler. g^^^^ ^|-^gy wcrc ready to make any 

changes he wished in their laws, provided that their liberties and 
their church were safe. But these were the very things the King 
wanted to destroy, and so made answer that the offer of the colo- 
nists would not do. 




loo STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Then the King took away the charter of Massachusetts. 

Shortly afterward an Enghsh frigate sailed into Boston har- 
bor. When she anchored, an officer, splendidly dressed in gold 
and lace, landed, with two companies of soldiers. This was Sir 
Edmund Andros, who was now appointed Governor-General of New 
England. 

He had come, he said, to subdue the perverse spirit of the 
New Englanders; and he set about it with a will. He would not 
allow them to use their printing-presses. He tried to put down 
the schools. He said they should elect no more public officers. 
He raised the taxes without the consent of the people. He 
ordered the service of the King's church to be performed in the 
old Puritan meeting-house. 

The people had borne it ail till it came to this; but they 
could not stand quietly by and see their dear old church put 
down. So, when the Governor went to take their meeting-house, 
they said that the house was theirs, built with their money, and 
that neither the King nor the Governor had any right to take it. 
Sir Edmund Andros only laughed, and sent down soldiers to take 
,;')ssession. When he ordered the bell to be rung, the bellman 
L^fused to rins: it. Sir Edmund made one of his soldiers ring it. 

Then he went over to Plymouth, and put an end to its 

government and added it to Massachusetts. From thence to 

ivl.iode Island, where he broke the seal of the colony into pieces, 

!■ ned the Governor and his Council about their business, and 

announced that he would rule their colony for the future. 

The Charter Oak. 

THENCE he crossed over to Hartford, in Connecticut, entered 
the room where the Governor and the Assembly were sit- 
ting, and demanded, in a haughty tone, that the charter of 
the colony should be given up to him. It was lying on the 
table in the room. "Now," thought Andros, "I will have it, even 
if I have to seize it." The Governor of Connecticut began to 
argue against giving it up. 

Night came on while they were still arguing the point; the 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. loi 

candles were lighted, and, as the weather was warm, the windows 
were left open. Of a sudden, in the midst of the debate, the 
lights were extinguished, and several persons jumped into the 
room from outside. For a moment or two all was confusion; 
when the candles were relit the charter was gone. 

Surprise and consternation were on the faces of all. A brave 
colonist, named Wadsworth, had seized it in the darkness, carried 
it out of the room, and hid it in the hollow of an old oak tree. 
Many and many a day it lay there, and the boys and girls played 
round the old oak without suspecting what it contained. At 
length, when King James v/as overthrown and the danger past, 
the parchment, damp and mildewed, was taken out of the hollow 
where it had rested so long and restored to the people. 

That venerable and venerated tree stood in the city of Hart- 
ford one hundred and sixty-nine years afterward. On a very 
stormy night in August, 1856, it was blown down, and now it 
has passed away forever. It was known by the name of The 
Charter Oak. 

When Andros found the charter was gone, he said it made no 
difference, and took a pen and wrote the word Finis in the colony 
records — meaning that there was an end of them. 

Having written the word Finis, he said he took the govern- 
ment of Connecticut on himself, and went back to Boston. 

New York and New Jersey were then added to New Eng- 
land, and Sir Edmund Andros became Governor of the United 
Province. 

From that day, he and a few of his friends thought of nothing 
but extorting money out of the people and making them wretched. 

Harvard College. 

THE Puritans and Pilgrims both looked upon education as a 
civilizer. Only six years after Boston was settled, money was 
left by a clergyman, named John Harvard, for the purpose of 
founding a college. This good man doubtless never dreamed 
that his name would be revered by thousands and thousands two 
hundred years after his death. 



102 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



The college, as it was originally built, was only one square 
of red brick with low ceilings. To-day it is surrounded by elegant 
modern-built stone structures with spacious halls and broad stair- 
ways. 

Colonial Customs. 

THE New Englanders were very severe about keeping the 
Sabbath day. No kind of work was allowed; no playing and 
no visiting was permitted. It has even been said that one 
man was fined for kissing his wife on this day of rest. 
Everybody attended church. The men sat by themselves on 
one side of the church, the women by themselves on the other, 
and the children by themselves in the front. 

The churches were not warmed, 
for the people had an idea that they 
were better Christians if they bore dis- 
comforts without complaining. After 
a time the people began carrying hot 
bricks and hot water bottles to keep 
their feet and hands from freezing; 
then later on they carried little foot 
stoves. These stoves consisted of lit- 
tle tin boxes, with handles to carry 
them. In these boxes were put live 
coals, and in this way the fire would 
last during the whole sermon. 
A Puritan Miss. There wcrc no cushioned seats, no 

organ, and no hymn books. The minister read off one line of the 
hymn, which the people would sing to some old tune; then an- 
other line would be read and sung, then another and another, 
until the whole hymn was sung. 

After church all would go solemnly homeward, scarcely daring 
to smile even. Such a dismal day as Sunday was in those times. 
What a strong contrast to ours of to-day, with our pretty mUsic, 
our books and picture lessons! 




EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



103 



How the Colonies Grew United. 

DURING the French and Indian wars the colonies were fight- 
ing with one object in view of defeating a common foe — 
the French and Indians. They succeeded so well that they 
made the Indians afraid and taught them a lesson which 
they long remembered. The colonies, on the other hand, became 
really one great nation of planters, doing all they could to help 
make the other happy. They were becoming acquainted with each 




Early Times. 



other, and found that, although they differed on religious points, 
at heart their aspirations were the same — that of freedom in 
America, 

They now all began to feel a brotherly love for each other, 
and were ready to join hands and hearts for the good of their 
families, their homes, and their God. 



I04 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Causes of the Revolution. 

HERE, my young friends, the story of the American people 
as EngHsh colonists draws to a close. I am now to tell 
you how they became tired of being ruled by a King beyond 
the ocean, and, resolving to rule themselves, struggled many 
years and gained the victory. A new and more interesting scene 
will now open 

Revolution means turning over — a changing about. The 
previous successes made the planters know how strong they were 
when united, and they felt a desire to become one people. They 
talked about this a great deal, and finally they resolved that if 
the King and governors did not use them better than they had 
done, they would defy them all, and govern themselves. 

When the French and Indian war closed they hoped for 
better times, for a good young man had just become King of 
England. This was George the Third, who lived almost sixtv 
years a King. If he could have had his own way, he would have 
been kind and indulgent to the Americans, but bad, and often 
ignorant, men advised him, and things went wrong. 

The war just ended had cost England a great deal, and all 
the money in the King's treasury was spent. ?ie asked his ministers 
or advisers how he should get more. "Tax the Americans," they 
said; "they are rich, and are willing to give you as much money 
as you want. Make them pay so much upon everything they 
receive in ships. It is but little, and they will not mind it." 

Charles Townshend, who pretended to know all about America, 
made a speech in the British Parliament, in which he said that 
the colonies had been "planted by the care of the English, 
nourished by their indulgence, and protected by their arms; and 
that it was only fair they should give their mite toward relieving 
England of her heavy burdens." 

Upon this the brave Isaac Barre rose in his place in parliament 
and cried: 

"They planted by your care! No; your oppressions planted 
them in America. They fled from your tyranny. They nourished 
by your indulgence! They grew by your neglect of them. They 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 105 

protected by your arms! They have nobly taken up arm* in 
your defense." 

Much more that gallant soldier said, which you will find in 
larger books than this, telling the bold truth to the great lords in 
much plainer and gruffer language than they were used to hear, 
and giving to the people of America the new and glorious name 
of Sons of Liberty. There was a buzz and a murmur in the 
house of Parliament when he sat down, and a great many 
Englishmen, I dare say, then remembered how their fathers had 
fought for their rights, and for a brief moment saw that the people 
of America were but doing the same. 

These laws were of two kinds. One was what is called a 
Customs' Duty, to be levied on coffee, silk, calico, wine, sugar, 
and such articles, when brought into the colonies. That is to say, 
on every yard of calico or silk, on every bottle of wine, and on 
every pound of coffee or sugar, that was brought in ships to the 
ports of America, the King required the owner to pay him so 
much money. 

The young King did as he was told, and sent men to collect 
the money. The people grumbled about it and declared it was 
" Taxation witjiout Represe7itatio7tV A great patriot named James 
Otis, of Massachusetts, spoke his mind plainly, and advised the 
people not to pay a penny. So the King did not get much money 
in this way. 

The King and his advisers now tried another way to get money 
from the Americans. They made a law that every piece of paper 
on which agreements of any kind were written, should have fastened 
to it a little piece of blue paper, on which were stamped certain 
words. It was decreed that all agreements written upon paper without 
this should be good for nothing. These bits of blue paper were 
called "stamps," and were furnished by the King only, for which 
he charged certain prices. It was thought that in this way 
money could be got from the Americans, because they would have 
to buy paper with these stamps on, or else have none that was 
good. This law was called The Stamp Act. 

The Americans were very indignant because of this attempt 
to get their money. In Virginia, a great patriot, named Patrick 



io6 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Henry, boldly advised the people to write bargains on whatever 
paper they pleased, and pay no attention to the Stamp Act. 
Henry charmed everybody by his manner of speaking. When in 
the Virginia Legislature, he boldly defied the King and his govern- 
ment, and in speaking of the danger a monarch was in who 
oppressed his people, he said, "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles 
the First his Cromwell, and George the Third " — he was inter- 
rupted by persons who cried, "Treason! Treason!" Henry finished 
by saying — "may profit by their example; if that be treason, 
make the most of it." 

All over the country the people were very much excited. The 
ministers in their pulpits, speakers at public meetings, and the 
newspapers spoke against the Stamp Act. At length men were 
appointed in several colonies to meet in New York in the autumn 
of 1765, to talk the matter over, and advise the people what 
to do. 

After that, the people resolved to have nothing to do with 
the stamps. Men who had agreed to sell them were insulted every- 
where. Many persons formed societies, and called themselves 
Sons of Liberty. Merchants agreed not to buy any more goods 
in England while that act was a law. 

The King and his ministers soon saw that they had made a 
serious mistake. The great William Pitt was in Parliament and his 
advice was finally taken. The Act was repealed in the spring 
of 1766. 

Benjamin Franklin, who was in London, was asked his opinion 
by the great lords. He answered, 

"The people of America will never submit to the Stamp 
Act." 

He knew them well. "Then," said the great lords, who did 
not relish the idea of getting no money out of the colonies, 
"suppose we try some other tax on the same plan?" 

But Franklin answered that it made no difference what the 
tax was, the Americans would not pay it. 

It was a dreadful blow to the proud lords of England, and 
William Pitt lashed them with his cutting words till they writhed 
again; but there was nothing to do but to yield. And yield they did. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



107 



A great many of them — splendid old fellows with long lines 
of ancestry and rich estates, and heads of unspeakable thickness 
— wrapped themselves up in their dignity, and protested that, for 
their part, they never consented to giving way to the rabble in 
the colonies. 

But it was repealed, nevertheless, and the honest people of 
London lit bonfires, and rang bells, and pranced through the 
streets shouting for joy and blessing Pitt, when they knew that 
the Americans were again free. Swift messengers rode off on 
fleet horses to the seaports, and fast-sailing ships dashed through 
the waves bearing the joyful tidings to the people of the colonies. 

When the news arrived there was nothing but gladness and 
joy throughout America. 



T 



Daughters of Liberty. 

HINK you all the time the men and boys were working 
out the spirit of independence that the mothers and daugh- 
ters sat idly by? Not a bit of it. The ladies made a vow to 
wear no silk, and they would wear no mourning, because 




they would have been compelled to buy it from the English. All 
over the country, from New Hampshire to Georgia, the farmers' 



io8 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

wiv^es and daughters wrought with their own hands the cloth with 
which to make the suits for the brave and glorious men. Every- 
where they had spinning societies, and from the wool they spun 
the yarn for shirts, stockings, and bedding, rather than have them 
buy in England, 

Custom House Duty. 

BUT the people of America very soon found out that the 
King and the great lords were still the same as ever, and 
that the repeal of the Stamp Act really signified nothing. 
The great lords had made up their minds to do what they 
liked with the colonies, and to squeeze money out of them, if 
not on one pretense, on some other. 

Money was the thing the great lords wanted. Charles 
Townshend — a vain, fickle fellow — hit upon a fresh plan for 
squeezing the colonies. 

This was a customs duty, by which the colonists were to pay 
so much to the King on every pound of tea, and so much on 
every package of glass, lead, paper, and other articles brought 
into the country from abroad. The great lords thought the plan 
a capital one, and it became a law immediately. 

You know, of course, that all these and many other articles 
pay a tax or duty of so much to this day when they are brought 
into this country from abroad. But you know, also, that this is 
done in virtue of a law made by Congress, in the name of the 
people, and that the money which is thus paid goes into the 
Treasury of the United States, and serves to pay the President, 
the other public servants, the army, the navy, and so forth. This 
is the difference between the customs duty which is paid to-day 
and that which the King proposed years ago. He did not ask 
the consent of the people of this country; and the money paid 
on tea and the other articles was to go into the pocket of the 
King of England, to be used by him as he thought fit. 

When the news of this new plan reached America the people 
said, in their old blunt way, that they would not submit to it. 
They said that the King of England had no right to take their 
money without their consent, and that they had given no consent. 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. loi^ 

" Charles Tovvnshend, who thought himself a wonderful states- 
man, had supposed they would be satisfied with the repeal of the 
Stamp Act, and that they would make no objection to a duty. 
But they said the name didn't matter — call it a Stamp Act, or 
call it a duty, it was all one. 

So they entered into an agreement not to eat or to drink or 
to wear or to use anything that was named in the new law. The 
same spirit fired the whole country from north to south; there was 
nothing heard so loudly and so often as the cry for American 
freedom. 

When the great lords received the news they burst into a 
fury, and sent to Boston with orders to the Governor to make 
the Assembly eat their words. But he might as well have tried 
to move the mountains — the men of Massachusetts made an- 
swer that they would not alter one single letter in what they 
had said. 

Here again England blundered in this as in everything else. 
She sent an English ship of war to America. 

When the troops came and landed in Boston, with their colors 
flying, their drums beating, and their guns loaded, the people were 
much enraged; but wise James Otis and Samuel Adams had 
warned every man to be quiet and to make no disturbance. So 
the troops had no chance of shooting anyone. 

All this time the colonies had been petitioning and begging 
Parliament and the King of England to deal fairly by them and 
to repeal the unjust duty. They never ceased to assure the King 
tli%t^ they were faithful, loyal subjects, and that they would give 
their blood and all they had for the glory and safety of England, 
but that they would never yield their rights as freemen. But the 
great lords scoffed at their entreaties. 



to 



I 



The Boston Hassacre. 

N Boston, the people and the soldiers hated each other with 
a deadly hatred. The officers were enraged that they had not 
had a chance to fire on the rebels, as they called them. The 
people could not bear the sight of the red-coats marching up 



no STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

and down their streets, and beating drums at all hours, and often 
insulting and maltreating their wives and their daughters. 

A quarrel arising between a rope-maker and a soldier, they 
fought with their fists, and the soldier was beaten. Other soldiers 
came, but they were thrashed likewise. On this the whole garrison 
resolved to be revenged, and on the evening of the fifth of March, 
just as the moon appeared, bands of soldiers ran up and do^vn 
the streets beating every man they met, and seeking a quarrel. 
One or two of the officers stood by, crying, 

"Knock them down!" 

First one man was knocked down, then another; then a poor 
boy was cut on the head with a sword by a soldier. 

When the boy who had been wounded told his story, other 
boys ran up to the soldiers and jeered them, shouting, as boys 
would, 

"Ah! you lobsters, you scoundrels! fire if you dare!" 

One of these boys threw a stick which hit a soldier, there- 
upon they fired on the crowd before them, taking good aim, and 
not missing a shot. As a result, five persons were killed and nine 
wounded. 

It was late at night, but the church bells began to ring 
furiously, and every man in Boston ran out of his house to ask 
what had happened. When they heard that their friends had 
been shot, and saw their blood trodden into the snow in King 
Street, their fury was terrible. 

What a crisis had now arrived! Up to this very moment the 
angry feelings between England and America might have been 
settled. England had but to stretch out the hand of reconciliation, 
and acknowledge that she had done wrong, and would do so no 
more. Then the bonds of brotherhood would again have been 
knit together. Now that the King's soldiers had shed one drop 
of American blood, it was a quarrel to the death. Never, never 
would America rest satisfied, until she had torn down royal 
authority, and trampled it in the dust. 

They arrested the officers and soldiers and left a hundred 
men to guard them, and went to bed, sternly resolved that justice 
should be done. 



EARL V SB TTLEMENTS. 1 1 1 

The next morning Samuel Adams told the Governor that the 
soldiers must be removed from the town. 

Hutchinson replied that he could not remove them. 

"Then," said Adams, "we must do it ourselves." 

And ten thousand stout men of Massachusetts buckled on 
their swords and loaded their guns to drive out the murderers. 
Governor Hutchinson was now awed by their threat. Before the 
week was out the soldiers slunk out of Boston and took up their 
quarters in Castle William. 

Meanwhile the great lords in England saw that their latest 
plan for taxing the colonies was a failure, and that every day the 
Americans were growing more and more resolute to defend their 
rights. 

The Boston Tea Party. 

THE King saw that he could not enforce the laws he had 
made, and yet he had not the heart to abandon them alto- 
gether. So he and his lords repealed the old law and made 
a new one, taking off the taxes from every article except 
tea. Tea alone was still to pay so much a pound to the King. 

When the Americans heard of the new law, they said it was 
no better than the old one. For if the King had a right to tax 
tea, he had as good a right to tax anything else. They said it 
was not the amount of the tax they cared for, but the principle. 

But the merchants began, as before, to buy goods from 
England — tea only excepted. 

Trade went on as usual; ships sailed in and out of the har- 
bor; people bought and sold in the town; farmers plowed and 
sowed in the fields. But for the dark, thoughtful faces that were 
seen in the streets, and the grave, manly talk that was heard at 
the fireside of an evening, no one would have guessed that the 
people of Massachusetts had resolved to be free. 

Ship after ship was filled with tea and sent to America. The 
ships arrived, but nowhere was the tea allowed to be sold. In 
most places it was not permitted even to be landed. In Boston 
the people had resolved beforehand what to do, when any tea 
ships should arrive. The captains were to be ordered to leave 



112 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



the harbor at once, and if they refused, their cargoes were to be 
destroyed. 

Two ships came to Boston wharf in cold December, 1773, 
and would not leave. The people held a great meeting in Faneuil 
Hall; and at dusk, a large number of men, dressed like Indians, 




Faneuil Hall, Boston. 

went on board the vessels, broke open every chest of tea, and 
cast the contents into the water. So, as they said at the time, 
"Boston harbor was made a great teapot.." 

When news reached England, the King and Parliament were 
angry, and resolved to punish the people of Boston by prohibiting 
vessels from leaving or entering that harbor. 

On the ist of June, 1774, General Gage came to Boston as 
Governor of Massachusetts, and troops were ordered there to 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. ' 



113 



carry out the measures for punishing the people. Of course, all 
business was stopped, and the inhabitants suffered very much. 
But the patriots all over the country sent them food and other 
necessaries. So they managed to get along, though it was hard 
work, I assure you. 




House at Philadelphia where the First Congresses were held. 



114 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

The First Continental Congress. 

THE idea of Union now filled all minds and hearts. The 
newspapers were also filled with it; and on the 5th of 
September, 1774, delegates were sent from all the colonies 
except Georgia, so the First Continental Congress — as it is 
called in history — met at Philadelphia. 

It would take me too long to speak of all the great and good 
men who met on that day to guard their country from oppression. 
I cannot think of any assembly that ever met in any country in 
which truer patriots were gathered together. 

It was a very small matter — the tax on tea — which they had 
met to resist; only a few pence a pound; but they knew that if 
the King had the right to tax them even the millionth part of a 
penny, they were no longer free, and therefore they had resolved 
to resist. They knew that the King was ready to enforce his 
unjust laws with guns and bayonets; that they were but a handful 
in comparison with the King's troops; but they thought of their 
sons, and determined to leave them a heritage of freedom. 

The whole country was much excited during the summer; 
and before August, delegates for the Congress were appointed. 
These met in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, in September, 1774. 
That assembly is known as the First Continental Congress. 

Then it was that a union of the colonies was really com- 
rrienced, and the first grand step was taken toward forming our 
noble Republic, The United States of America. 

That Congress continued fifty days. The members showed 
so much wisdom and firmness, that the greatest men of Europe 
were astonished. When they separated, they agreed to meet again 
on the loth of the next May, unless, in the meanwhile, the King 
and his advisers and the Parliament should treat the Americans 
justly. 

But the King and Parliament were not just to the Americans; 
and before the 10th of the next May, British troops and armed 
patriots had commenced the Revolution — the old War for 
Independence. Of this I shall now tell you. It began in 1775 
and ended in 1781. 



PART III. 



American Revolution. 




Battle of Lexington. 

NGLAND, Scotland, Wales and Ireland formed one 
kingdom, called Great Britain. Hereafter I shall 
say Great Britain instead of England — and the 
British instead of the English. 

When the trees budded in the spring of 1775, 
there were three thousand British troops in Boston, 
under the leadership of Gage, sent there to frighten 
the Americans. Yet they were not frightened. They saw that 
they must fight for freedom, or be slaves, and they resolved to 
defy the fleets and armies of Great Britain. 

In every town and village around Boston, companies were being 
formed for military drill. These men were called "minute-men," 
because they were ready to enter the battle at a moment's 
warning. 

Gage with all his soldiers felt strong. Hearing that the patriots 
were collecting powder and balls, muskets and provisions, at the 
village of Concord, he sent a party of soldiers, on the night of 
the 1 8th of April, to seize and carry them to Boston. 

When the troops reached Lexington at daylight, a good many 
minute-men were watching for them. A sharp fight took place, 
and eight of the patriots were killed, and the rest driven away. 
This was the beginning of the old War for Independence. 

The British now marched on to Concord to seize the stores, 
and there they had another fight with the patriots. They soon 
found that the minute-men were coming from all quarters, so they 

115 



ii6 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

turned and fled to Boston as fast as their feet could go. When they 
got there, they found that two hundred and seventy-three of their 
number had been killed or wounded. 

At Bunker's Hill the soldiers were safe; and thus ended the 
first battle of the Revolution — the battle of Lexington. 

A young patriot, named Paul Revere, was warned, by a signal 
light in a church steeple, that the British were about to start. He 
then set out toward Lexington on his famous ride. He alarmed 
the people of the villages through which he passed, and the men, 
taking their muskets with them, hurried on toward Lexington. 

Paul Revere's Ride. 

Listen, my children, and you shall hear 

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. 

On the eighteenth of April in seventy-five. 

Hardly a man is now alive 

Who remembers that famous day and year. 

He said to his friend, "If the British march 
By land or sea from the town to-night. 
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch 
Of the North Church tower as a signal light — 
One if by land, and two if by sea. 
And I on the opposite shore will be, 
Ready to ride and spread the alarm 
Through every Middlesex village and farm, 
For the country-folk to be up and to arm." 

Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar 

Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore, 

Just as the moon rose over the bay. 

Where swinging wide at her moorings lay 

The Somerset, British man-of-war ; 

A phantom ship, with each mast and spar 

Across the moon like a prison bar, 

And a huge black hulk that was magnified 

By its own reflection in the tide. 

Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street, 
Wanders and watches with eager ears. 



A M ERIC A N RE VOL UTJON. 1 1 7 

Till in the silence around him he hears 
The muster of men at the barrack door, 
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet, 
And the measured tread of the grenadiers 
Marching down to their boats on the shore. 

Then he climbed to the tower of the Church, 
Up the wooden stairs with stealthy tread, 
To the belfry chamber overhead, 
And startled the pigeons from their perch. 
On the sombre rafters, that round him made 
Masses and moving shapes of shade, — 
Up the light ladder, slender and tall, 
To the highest window in the wall, 
Where he paused to listen and look down 
A moment on the roofs of the town. 
And the moonlight flowing over all. 



Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride, 

Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride 

On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere, 

Now he patted his horse's side. 

Now gazed at the landscape far and near. 

Then, impetuous, stamped the earth, 

And turned and tightened his saddle girth; 

But mostly he watched with eager search » 

The belfry-tower of the Old North Church, 

As it rose above the graves on the hill, 

T.onelv and spectral and sombre and still. 

And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height 

A glimmer, and then a gleam of light! 

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns. 

But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight 

A second lamp in the belfry burns! 

A hurry of hoofs in a village street, 

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, 

And beneath from the pebbles, in passing, a spark 

Struck out by a steed that flies fearless and fleet: 

That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light. 

The fate of a nation was ridine that nioht; 



ii8 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



So through the night rode Paul Revere; 

And so through the night went his cry of alarm 

To every Middlesex village and farm, — 

A cry of defiance and not of fear, 

A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door. 

And a word that shall echo forevermore! 

For, borne on the night-wing of the Past, 
Through all our history, to the last, 
In the hour of darkness and peril and need, 
The people will waken and listen to hear 
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed. 
And the midnight message of Paul Revere 



When the news of this bloodshed became generally known, 

there was great excitement 
----- _ among the patriots all over 

New England and else- 
where. Hundreds of people, 
armed and unarmed, started 
for Boston; and. before the 
first of May, full twenty 
thousand men were there, 
building fortifications to 
keep the British army from 
coming out of the city. In 
other parts of the country 
the Sons of Liberty took 
bold steps. They seized 
powder, cannon, muskets 
and other things; told the 
royal governors to leave the 
country as soon as possible, 
and plainly said to the King 
and Parliament, "Now we 
are ready to fight for our 





Old North Church. 



freedom. Send on your soldiers as soon as you please." 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 119 

Fort Ticonderoga. 

/iT Fort Ticonderoga the British had a great many cannons 
/ 1 and much powder. Early in May, many people, led by 
^£j^ Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, went across Lake Cham- 
plain one night, and just at daylight rushed into that fort 
in spite of the sentinels. 

Ethan Allen was a rough, but very brave man. He called 
to the British commander who was ready to give up the fort. 
The commander came to the door, and said: "By what authority 
do you demand it?" "By that of the Great Jehovah and the 
Continental Congress!" shouted Allen. The commander thought 
the authority sufficient, and gave up the fort. Crown Point was 
taken two or three days afterward, and the cannons from Ticon- 
deroga were conveyed to Boston, and used against the British. 

Battle of Bunker Hill. 

TOWARD the close of May, several war vessels came from 
England with troops and those famous soldiers, Generals 
Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne, of whom you will hear a great 
deal. There were then twelve thousand British troops in 
Boston, and many large warships were in the harbor. 

To lock up the English in the city more securely, a party of 
Americans were dispatched, under Colonel Prescott, on a dark 
night in June, to take possession of Bunker's Hill, opposite Boston. 
Whether they mistook their way, or did not obey orders, is not 
now well known; but instead of going to Bunker's Hill, they 
marched to Breed's Hill, quite close to Boston. 

The men brought spades and pickaxes with them, and wrought 
all night so steadily, without speaking a word, that by morning 
they had thrown up quite a formidable breastwork and redoubt. 
The moment day dawned and the English saw Prescott and 
his men working on the heights, the English generals resolved to 
take possession of the hill if they could; and the ships and forts 
opened fire upon the Americans. It did not delay the works in 
the least. Though the bullets rattled around them, and every 



I20 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

now and then a brave man fell dead with his spade in his hand, 
the breastwork grew larger and larger every hour. 

At three o'clock in the afternoon the British soldiers crossed 
over from Boston and advanced against the breastwork. They 
had set Charlestown on fire; the flames rose fiercely in the air, 
and at times the smoke almost blinded both English and Ameri- 
cans. But the former marched bravely on. 

Behind their work, which they had lengthened with rails from 
fences, and earth and hay, the Americans crouched, and watched 
the enemy slowly ascending the hill. General Putnam walked 
backward and forward among them, as active as if he had been 
twenty instead of sixty, and gave the word: 

"Don't fire a shot, boys, till you can see the whites of their 
eyes! 

So not a shot was fired, and the Enghsh could not under- 
stand why they were permitted to advance. In every window, 
and on every housetop in Boston, there were crowds of people 
looking on, and wondering why the patriots allowed the English 
to fire away at their ease without returning a shot. 

At last the sharp-sighted Yankees saw the whites of the 
Enghshmen's eyes. Up they rose in an instant, and fired. Such 
a volley, fired with such good aim, and from so short a distance, 
stunned the soldiers, and, losing many men, they broke and ran 
down the hill. 

The officers rallied and again charged. Again the Americans 
crouched or squatted behind their breastwork. Cool as if the 
enemy had been a thousand miles off, the American officers 
walked about, bidding each man take good aim, as their stock 
of powder was small. When the soldiers were quite close, bang 
went the Yankee guns again, and every ball brought down its 
man. Down the hill again ran the soldiers. 

Bursting with rage at these two repulses, General Clinton 
and several other British officers came over from Boston and 
rallied the troops for a third charge. By this time the Americans 
had spent nearly all their powder and ball. 

Up the hill for the third time came the English, the officers 
shouting and cheering their men; and once more the deadly bullets 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



121 



of the Yankee rifles laid many a stout man low. By this time 
the English had planted cannon so as to rake the redoubt; and 
the soldiers, leaping in among the Americans, began to sweep 
them back with the bayonet. 

The American soldiers, who were nothing but farmers, fisher- 
men and mechanics, had only their guns, with which they had 




been used to hunt, and no bayonets. When the English came 
on, and their powder was spent, they clubbed their guns and 
fought desperately, battering down their enemies as they advanced. 
But the English outnumbered them, and were already inside th* 
breastwork. 

There was nothing for it but to retreat. They did so, slowly, 
fighting as they fled. Brave Doctor Warren, who was one of the 



122 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

chief leaders on the American side, stood firm, shouting to the 
EngHsh to come on. A soldier took aim at him and shot him 
through the head. As evening fell the battle ceased, and the 
English were in possession of the hill. 

This battle, which was fought on Breed's Hill, is called in 
history the Battle of Bunker's Hill, just as many other things are 
called by wrong names. The Americans were beaten, and the 
English, though at an awful cost of life, won the victory. 

You will hear of many other battles in which your country- 
men were beaten. But, as you know, there are many plants 
which grow the better and the stronger the more they are trodden 
and trampled into the earth — so the Americans gained boldness 
from every defeat, and were never more trustful or more unyield- 
ing than just after they had lost a battle. 

Upon Bunker Hill is placed a monument to commemorate 
the event. 



W^ 



Second Continental Congress. 

HILE these things were taking place in New England, 
the patriots in other colonies were just as bold and 
busy. 

The Second Continental Congress met at Philadelphia. 
The wise men and great patriots collected there said to the King: 
"Be just, and we will lay down our arms, and be your best friends. 
But know, O King, that we have counted the cost of war, and find 
nothing so dreadful as slavery. Be just, or we will fight your 
fleets and armies until we become a free people." 

The Congress did not wait for the King's answer, but wisely 
prepared for war. It appointed George Washington, the brave 
soldier who was with Braddock twenty years before, to be the 
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental armies. 

Washington went immediately to Cambridge, near Boston, 
and there, under the shadow of a fine elm tree, he took the 
command of the army on the 3d of July. That army was made 
up of all sorts of people, with all sorts of dress, and all sorts of 
weapons. He began at once to put them in good condition. 
Speeches everywhere, in favor of independence, were being made. 



M 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 123 

Speech of Patrick Henry— 1775. 

R. PRESIDENT: No man thinks more highly than I do 
of patriotism. But different men often see the same sub- 
ject in different hghts, and therefore I hope it will not be 
thought disrespectful if I speak forth my sentiments freely 
and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The ques- 
tion before the house is one of awful moment to this country. 
For my part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of 
freedom or slavery. It is only in this way that we can hope to 
arrive at truth and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold 
to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at 
such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider 
myself as guilty of treason toward my country and of an act of 
disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above 
all earthly kings. 

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions 
of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth 
and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into 
beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and 
arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number 
of those who, having eyes, see not and, having ears, hear not 
the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For 
my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to 
know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it. 
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that 
is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the 
future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know 
what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for 
the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen 
have been pleased to solace themselves and the house? Is it that 
insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? 
Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not 
yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this 
gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike 
preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are 
fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? 



124 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force 
must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive our- 
selves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; 
the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask, gentlemen, sir, 
what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us 
to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive 
for it? Has Great Britain any enemy in this quarter of the 
world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? 
No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be 
meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon 
us, those chains which the British ministry have been so long 
forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try 
argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. 
Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We 
have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; 
but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and 
humble supplication? What terms shall we find, which have not 
been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive 
ourselves longer. Sir, we have done everything that could be 
done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have 
petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have 
prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its 
interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and 
Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances 
have produced additional violence and insults; our supplications 
have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, 
from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we 
indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no 
longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free — if we mean to 
preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have 
been so long contending — if we mean not basely to abandon the 
noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which 
we have pledged ourselves never to abandon, until the glorious 
object of our contest shall be obtained — we must fight! I repeat 
it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of 
Hosts is all that is left us! 

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so 



A ME RICA N RE VOL UTION. 125 

formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will 
it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are 
totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in 
every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inac- 
tion? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying 
supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, 
until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we 
are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the 
God of nature hath placed in our power. Besides, sir, we shall 
not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides 
over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight 
our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it 
is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have 
no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too 
late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat, but in sub- 
mission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may 
be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable — and 
let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. 

It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry 
peace, peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! 
The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears 
the clash of resounding arrns! Our brethren are already in the 
field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that the gentlemen 
wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so 
sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? 
Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may 
take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death! 

Battle of Quebec. 

IN 1775 the Yankees began a longing look toward the province 
of Canada, which had refused to join the other colonies in 
obtaining freedom. 

Washington knew it would be a good thing for the American 
army to get possession of these cities; but he also knew that the 
American army had not enough powder to carry on their work, 
where they were, much longer unless help came. For this reason 



126 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

he was slow to act. Many officers heaped abuse upon Washington's 
head for this, and nearly accused him of being cowardly. He 
endured their blame, however, for he dared not let it be known 
how low the powder supply was growing. 

In the early fall, however, two armies were ordered into Canada. 
Their leaders were the brave Montgomery, Ethan Allen and 




^^^^i^ 



Benedict Arnold. The two former advanced by way of Lake 
Champlain to St. John's, which they took. 

Ethan Allen, who was a very daring soldier but wanting in 
prudence, undertook to take Montreal with only one hundred and 
fifty men. He set out by night, and appeared suddenly before 
the town, hoping to surprise it. But Governor Carleton was on 
the alert. When Allen advanced, he was attacked by a much 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 127 

larger force than his own, defeated, and sent to England in 
chains. 

After this, Carleton, fearing that Quebec might be taken, 
embarked in a boat with a few soldiers and rowed down the river. 
Montgomery crossed over to Montreal, took it, and went with all 
speed to Quebec. There he had arranged to meet Arnold, who 
was to cross the mountains from Maine. 

But the journey had been a desperate one — through brush 
and brier, swamp and bog, over mountain and river. Many of 
Arnold's men had died on the way of fever and hunger; others 
had lost heart and gone home. When he joined Montgomery 
he had nothing but a miserable, famished band, who were hardly 
able to walk. 

But Montgomery's courage never flagged. He climbed the 
heights which Wolfe had ascended and offered battle. Carleton 
would not leave the city. Then Montgomery tried to make a 
breach in the walls, but his guns were far too light. 

It was in the depth of winter. The snow was several feet 
high; and it froze so hard that the sentries were often found stiff 
and dead at their posts. Montgomery saw that if they did not 
take the place they would all die before spring. 

Accordingly, long before daybreak, on New Year's morning, 
in the middle of a heavy snowstorm, he led his men to the 
attack. For a short distance they advanced over the snowdrifts 
and masses of ice, Montgomery leading the way toward a battery. 
But the garrison were awake and at their posts, and the very 
first shot killed Montgomery and many others. At the same time, 
Arnold, who had advanced on another side, was wounded; and, 
after a brief struggle, the Americans gave way and returned to 
their camp. 

The body of brave Montgomery was found in the snow frozen 
stiff next morning, and was buried with great honors by the Eng- 
lish Governor, Carleton. Many years afterward, his bones were 
brought to New York and buried a second time, in St. Paul's 
Church, where you can at this day see the monument erected b\ 
Congress to his memory. 



128 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



B 



Fine Feathers Ne'er Make Fine Birds. 

Y this time you must be wondering how the dress of the 
American armies compared with those of the British. In 
this case comparison is odious, for while the soldiers be- 
longing to the King's army were in excellent uniform, well 

equipped for heat and cold, our brave 
boys had entered the army in perhaps 
the very homespun suits which had 
been woven by the sweet-faced sister, 
who pledged her heart and hand to 
help the good work on, or they may 
have come in pulpit-dress, or Quaker 
style. We know this — they came from 
the bench, the farm, the garden, like 
a lot of sheep from the mountains, 
without drill, without pomp and with- 
out display. 

But this we know: Their hearts 
were true and purpose noble. 

When General Washington rode 
grandly out on horseback, dressed in 
his fine blue broadcloth coat, with 
buff -colored facings, buff waistcoat and 
breeches, a hat with black cockade, 
and a sword in an elegantly embroid- 
ered sword-belt, I think his heart must 
have sunk within him as he looked on 
his poorly equipped army and then 
glanced over toward Boston, and 
thought of the British soldiers, gorge- 
ous in their elegant new uniforms, 
trained to march up to the cannon's 
^^ mouth like a solid wall in motion. 

But for all this he knew the 
metal of which the Americans were 
British Soldier. composcd, and he must have ment- 

ally said "fine feathers ne'er make fine birds." 




AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



129 



Washington and His Army. 

HE British had remained quiet in Boston ever since the 
battle of Bunker's Hill, closely besieged by the Americans. 
General Washington, who commanded the Americans, find- 
ing himself at last strong enough to make an attack, sent a 

large party of men by night to Dorchester Heights. 

When day dawned next morning, the English were astounded 

at the sight of the new American batteries, which were expected 



T 




Washington's Army Chest. 

every moment to thunder on the ships and the town. The Eng- 
lish General at first thought of attacking the Americans, but, a 
storm arising, he changed his mind, and sent word to Washington 
that he would evacuate the town if the Americans would allow 
him to embark in peace. This was agreed to, and General 
Washington entered Boston in triumph. The English, nearly 
10,000 strong, sailed away to Halifax. 

This was a truly glorious victory, won without spilling a drop of 
blood. The wretched people of Boston had been half starved 
during the siege. During the winter firewood had been so scarce 
9 



I30 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

that the pews and benches had been taken out of the churches 
and burnt in the stoves. You may imagine how glad the people 
were when Washington entered, with drums beating, colors flying 
and every man shouting for joy. 

Declaration of Independence. 

FOR ten years the colonies had struggled for their liberty. 
Year after year they had sent petitions to the King, praying 
that he would not oppress them, but would suffer them to 
grow up a great and prosperous country under the dear old 
English flag. 

But every petition had been spurned. They had taken up arms 
to defend their rights. To the last they had hoped that, when 
the King knew how stanch they were, he would cease to oppress 
them. 

Now, these hopes were destroyed. It was vain to expect any 
justice from the King. 

All over the country men began to say openly that it was 
absurd to remain the subjects of a king who treated them thus. 
First in one colony, then in another, an outcry for independence 
arose; and every now and then someone who made himself very 
officious in suppressing the cry for independence was tarred and 
feathered, or ridden on a rail by the people. They were called 
Tories, and the patriots who were for independence were called 
Whigs. 

When the Continental Congress met again at Philadelphia, 
Georgia being represented this time with the others, Richard 
Henry Lee of Virginia proposed that the colonies should throw 
off their allegiance to England, and declare themselves independent. 

We know very little of what passed in that Congress, as it 
sat with closed doors, and no reports of its proceedings were 
published. But it is said that at first six out of the thirteen 
states were opposed to Lee's motion. The other seven being in 
favor of it, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, 
R. Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston were appointed to draw 
up a declaration of independence. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



131 



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Signers of Declaration of Independence. 









132 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

On the fourth day of July, in the year 1776, the Declaration 
of Independence, as drawn up by them, was adopted almost 
unanimously and signed by the members of Congress. 

Depend upon it, the men who signed that declaration did 
not think of getting into fine attitudes or looking grand. The 
writing their names on that paper was a very serious and des- 
perate act, which might cost them their liberty, their property, 
and their lives. It was sure to plunge the country into a long 
war with a powerful enemy, and to make many a widow and 
many an orphan; to lay many a home desolate, and spread gloom 
over many a smiling village. 

Yet they signed it, each of them — save one who was ill — 
writing; his name in a bold and firm hand. 

So, every year, on that day, at sunrise and sunset, we ring 
the bells and fire the guns; and at noon the soldiers are out with 
their flags flying, and drums beating. The boys, full of glee, let 
off crackers from morning till night, and in the evening splendid 
fireworks are shown, to the delight of everybody. This is as it 
should be, for that was the birthday of the United States of 
America, which soon became a nation. 

The First American Flag. 

THE first American flag according to the design and approval 
of Congress, in i jjj, was made by Mrs. Elizabeth Ross of Phila- 
delphia. The fact is not generally known that to Philadelphia 
not only belongs the honor of flinging the first star-spangled 
banner to the breeze, but to a Pliiladelphia lady belongs the honor 
of having made it. It is related that, when Congress had decided 
upon the design, Colonel Geo. Ross and General Washington 
visited Mrs. Ross and asked her to make it. She said, 'T don't 
know whether I can, but I'll try," and directly suggested to the 
gentlemen that the design was wrong, that the stars were six corn- 
ered and not five cornered as they should be. This was corrected, 
and she made the flag. Congress accepted it, and for half a dozen 
years this lady furnished the Government with all its national 
flags. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 



133 




Forever float that standard sheet. 

Where breathes the foe, but falls before U9— 
With Freedom's soil beneath our feet. 

And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us f 




Congress voted, June 17, 1777, "that the flag of the thirteen 
United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, and 
the Union be thirteen white stars in the blue field." It was orig- 
inally intended that, as time went on and the country grew, a 
new stripe should be added for each new State; but later, when 
the growth of the country caused the flag to become too wide, it 
was decided to return to the thirteen original stripes, and let a 



134 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

new star be added for each new State. And thus it is that our 
flag to-day shows thirteen stripes of red and white, while the stars 
show the number of States in the Union. 

The Darkest Hour in American History. 

IT was in the year 1776, only a short time after the signing of 
the Declaration of Independence, that hope seemed to have 
left all hearts but Washington. His army had had nothing 
but defeat. The British had kept pressing him back; his 
men were too few, and were suffering, and, with no money, what 
were the Americans to do? 

This has been called the darkest hour in American history, 
and dark, very dark, jt was. Washington dared not give battle, 
having less than half as many soldiers as the British. His men 
lost heart, and began to desert by whole companies. Some joined 
the British; others fled to distant parts of the country. They 
had lost their tents and blankets; their clothes were in tatters, 
and winter was coming on. Their supply of food was scanty, and 
very often, in that disastrous retreat, they were obliged to eat it 
raw, for want of utensils with which to cook it. 

The English officers offered a free pardon to those who would 
lay down their arms, and a great many did so. In New York, 
especially, the respectable people said they saw quite plainly that 
it was useless to contend any longer, and that the Americans 
must give up. 

Congress, which was sitting at Philadelphia, was so poor that, 
when a gallant young Frenchman, by the name of Lafayette, 
offered to come to America and fight on the American side, it 
could not find the money to pay his passage. 

In that gloomy hour George Washington never once lost hope. 
Calm and serene in the midst of these cruel trials, he never 
despaired of his country; and by his strong faith and noble 
words gave confidence to the drooping hearts around him. When 
the British soldiers appeared on the banks of the Delaware, and 
only waited till the ice was strong enough to cross over into 
Pennsylvania, he said he would retreat still further to Philadel- 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



135 



phia; if they took Philadelphia, he would retreat beyond the 
Susquehanna; if they followed him there, he would retreat beyond 
the Alleghanies. But give up, never! 

Success on the Ground of Defeat. 

THE British Generals, who had no idea of Washington's 
tenacity and courage, thought the war was over, and that 
there was nothing more for them to do but to go home 
again. They soon found out their mistake. On Christmas 
night Washington collected a part of his army to cross the Dela- 
ware. The night was cold; it was snowing heavily; great lumps 




Washington Crossing the Delaware. 



of ice floated in the river, and almost prevented the boats from 
crossing. With the ice masses floating round the boat, and the 
Great Man standing erect in the bow, his eagle eye fixed on the 



136 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

opposite shore, and every feature in his face Ht up with resolu- 
tion and unquenchable fire. 

At eight o'clock in the morning he fell upon the Hessians, 
who had been carousing, and arranging among themselves how 
they should divide the plunder they felt sure of making at Phila- 
delphia. Washington did not give them much time to change 
their minds. Before they knew what had happened they were 
surrounded, and nearly one thousand of them made prisoners. 
Washington then recrossed the Delaware, with the loss of only 
ten men. 

Valley Forge. 

/IT the close of 1777, the third year of the War for Independ- 
/ 1 ence, the Americans felt very much encouraged, for they 
L V had done wonders during the campaign, and the good 
opinion of the world was on their side. 

Twenty miles northwest from Philadelphia is a little valley 
that opens upon a wide plain along the banks of Schuylkill River. 
Through it runs a stream, on which, before the War for Inde- 
pendence, was a forge, where iron was made into various things. 
It was called the valley forge, and after a while the whole place 
was named Valley Forge. 

To that little valley Washington led the American army mto 
winter quarters. It was December, and snow was on the ground. 
Many of the soldiers were barefoot, and left marks of blood in 
their tracks. 

There the soldiers built rude huts, and spent the dreary 
winter, thinly clothed and half-starved. They were more willing 
to suffer than to lose their freedom and become slaves to the King 
and Parliament. At this time the British army were enjoying 
every comfort in Philadelphia. Then it was that the good Wash- 
ington prayed in secret for God to help his countrymen, and his 
prayers were heard and answered. 

By and by, when the snow had melted, and the tree-buds 
began to open, news came that the French King would send 
soldiers and ships to help the Americans. It made them very 
joyful. Then came news that the King and Paliament would now 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



137 




do right 



Washington and His Men at Valley Forge. 

Then they were still more joyful. But when they remem- 
bered how often they had been deceived, they would not believe it. 
In the pleasant month of May General Howe sailed for Eng- 
land, and left the British army in charge of Sir Henry Clinton. 
They gave Howe a great ball and feast before he left. At the 
same time the Americans, who loved freedom better than all such 
things, were suffering at Valley Forge. 



Battle of Monmouth. 

NEWS now came that the French King had sent one of his 
war sailors, with many ships, to take the British vessels in 
the Delaware. The British commander, Lord Howe, was 
frightened, and left that river as soon as possible. Clinton 
was also alarmed, and left Philadelphia, with all his army, on 



138 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

the 1 8th of June. They fled across New Jersey toward Sandy 
Hook, to get upon Lord Howe's ships that lay at anchor there. 

When Washington heard of this he set his army at Valley 
Forge in motion, crossed the Delaware and pursued the British 
to Monmouth, in West Jersey. There, on one of the hottest days 
ever known, they had a terrible battle. Victory was on the side 
of the Americans. It was on the 28th of June, 1778. 

Fifty soldiers died of thirst that day. One soldier, who was 
firing a cannon, was shot dead. His wife, a young Irish woman, 
named Molly, who had been bringing water to him, took his 
place at the gun, and kept firing it all through the battle. Wash- 
ington was so pleased with her for this, that he gave her the pay 
of her husband after that, and she wore his soldier-clothes and 
was called Captain Molly as long as she lived. 

The Little Black=Eyed Rebel. 



A 



WILL CARLETON. 
Between Sept. 26, 1777, and June 17, 1778. 

BOY drove into the city, his wagon loaded down 
With food to feed the people of the British-governed town; 
And the little black-eyed rebel, so innocent and sly, 
Was watching for his coming from the corner of her eye. 



His face looked broad and honest, his hands were brown and tough, 
The clothes he wore upon him were homespun, coarse, and rough. 
But one there was who watched him, who long time lingered nigh, 
And cast at him sweet glances from the corner of her eye. 

He drove up to the market, he waited in the line; 

His apples and potatoes were fresh and fair and fine; 

But long and long he waited, and no one came to buy. 

Save the black-eyed rebel, watching from the corner of her eye. 

" Now who will buy my apples?" he shouted, long and loud; 
And "Who wants my potatoes?" he repeated to the crowd; 
But from all the people round him came no word of a reply. 
Save the black-eyed rebel, answering from the corner of her eye. 

For she knew that 'neath the lining of the coat he wore that day 
Were long letters from the husbands and the fathers far away, 



AMERICAN RE VOL UTION. 1 39 

Who were fighting for the freedom that they meant to gain or die; 
And a tear like silver glistened in the corner of her eye. 

But the treasures — how to get them? crept the question through her mind, 
Since keen enemies were watching for what prizes they could find, 
And she paused a while and pondered, with a pretty little sigh; 
Then resolve crept through her features, and shrewdness from her eye. 

So she resolutely walked up to the wagon old and red; 

"May I have a dozen apples for a kiss?" she sweetly said; 

And the brown face flushed to scarlet, for the boy was somewhat shy. 

And he saw her laughing at him from the corner of her eye. 

" You may have them all for nothing, and more, if you want," quoth he. 
" I will have them, my good fellow, but can pay for them," said she; 
^ And she clambered on the wagon, minding not who all were by. 

With a laugh of reckless romping in the corner of her eye. 

Clinging round his brawny neck, she clasped her fingers white and small. 
And then whispered, " Quick I the letters ! thrust them underneath my shawl ! 
Carry back again this package, and be sure that you are spry!" 
And she sweetly smiled upon him from the corner of her eye. 

Loud the motley crowd were laughing at the strange, ungirlish freak. 
And the boy was scared and panting, and so dashed he could not speak; 
And, " Miss / have good apples," a bolder lad did cry; 
But she answered, " No, I thank you," from the corner of her eye. 

With the news of loved ones absent to the dear friends they would greet. 
Searching them who hungered for them, swift she glided through the street. 
" There is nothing worth the doing that it does not pay to try," 
Thought the little black-eyed rebel, with a twinkle in her eye. 

The Surrender of Burgoyne. 

YOU will always hear in connection with the War of the E.ev- 
olution the surrender of two great armies, those of Burgoyne 
and Cornwallis. 

The King sent over Burgoyne, with a large army, to 
invade the United States by way of Canada. Burgoyne is said 
to have been a fine soldier, but was a bullying sort of fellow, who 
thought hanging was too good for the Americans, and that he 
could easily frighten them into submission. The first thing he 
did was to enlist as many Indians as he could find, and then to 



I40 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



threaten the Americans that, if they did not surrender, he would 
be obhged to let loose upon them these savages. No one knew 
better than he that there was no need of hiring Indians to fight; 
but he thought the terror of the Indian scalping-knife and toma- 
hawk might induce many of the Americans to desert their own 
standard and join his. 

At first everything went well with him. He marched to Ti- 
conderoga, and took possession of the fort there. Hearing that 
the Americans had collected a quantity of stores at Bennington 
(which is within the present State of Vermont), Burgoyne sent a 
party to seize them. But bold John Stark was there, with his 
men, and determined they should not get the stores. 

The victory, at Bennington gave heart to the Americans. 
General Gates soon after fought another battle with Burgoyne at 
a place called Stillwater, where the English were 
defeated. A day or two afterward, Burgoyne 
again led his men to the attack at the same 
place, and was again defeated. At night, when 
he buried his dead, the American cannon was 
still roaring, and the balls dashed into the camp, 
spattering the clergyman who read the funeral 
service with earth and blood. 

The English were now reduced to great straits. 
The Indians had deserted them, plundering the camp as they 
went. General Burgoyne, after consulting his officers, saw there 
was nothing for it but to surrender, with his whole army, to 
General Gates, which he did, on the seventeeth of October, at 
Saratoga. 

This was a great and glorious victory, and nobly did the 
American generals use it. Gates showed great kindness to the 
English officers, and would not allow his men to see the soldiers 
lay down their arms, in order to spare the feehngs of the con- 
quered. 

The, German general had his wife and children with him. 
After the surrender the Baroness drove to the American camp, 
and trembled when she saw herself in the power of the people 
her husband had come to war against. But while she was gazing 




General Gates. 



AMERICA N RE VOL UTION. 



141 



in a frightened way, a tall, handsome man stepped out of a tent, 
and took her children in his arms and kissed them. Then turning 
to their mother, he offered her a home in his house, and bade her 







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Surrender of Burgoyne. 

fear nothing. This was General Schuyler, whose country house 
had just been burned by the enemy. It is far pleasanter to think 
of acts of this kind than of all the victories in the world. 

When the news of these things reached the King he flew into 
a passion, and at first nothing would satisfy them but to sweep 
the Americans from the face of the earth. On second thought, 



142 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

however, he relented and tried to pacify the colonies. So they 
sent word that the King would forgive all that had happened, 
provided they returned to their allegiance and became good sub- 
jects without loss of time. 

The Commissioners arrived at Philadelphia in the year 1778, 
and began to write long papers to Congress, advising it to give 
up fighting and return to the arms of good King George. This Con- 
gress civilly declined to do. Then the Commissioners began to 
try the members separately. They sent word to Joseph Reed, 
one of the leading statesmen in Congress, that if he would work 
for the King and against the United States they would give him 
ten thousand pounds and any office he might choose to ask. But 
.Reed made answer, that he was not worth buying; but poor as 
he was, the King of England was not rich enough to buy him. 

Massacre at Wyoming. 

EVERY time the Tories heard the Americans had been beaten, 
they feasted, and reveled, and made merry; seeming to hate 
their own countrymen far more than the English did. 

Under the leadership of John Butler, a band of Indians 
and Tories made up their minds to lay waste one of the most 
beautiful settlements in the United States — the Vale of Wyoming, 
in Pennsylvania. 

It had been peopled by sturdy men from Connecticut, and, 
the land being fertile, it throve wonderfully. When the war broke 
out, one thousand stout-hearted men marched from Wyoming to 
fight for their country, leaving their wives and children to till their 
lands and tend their cattle in their absence, and five hundred men 
to guard them. John Butler knew that most of the young men 
had gone away, and led his band of savages to Wyoming one fine 
July day. 

The chief officer at Wyoming happened to be a cousin of his, 
named Zebulon Butler. He and the five hundred men, with the 
women and children and sick people, shut themselves up in a fort 
they had built, and prepared for defense. John Butler laid siege 
to the fort; but finding he could not take it, sent word to his 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



143 



cousin that he would like to speak to him outside. You know 
very well what that meant, and so, I think, did Zebulon. Never- 
theless, he went out of the fort, with four hundred men, and 
marched to meet his cousin. 

On and on he marched, meeting rto one; but as he went he 
saw at a distance, on the top of a hill, a man waving a flag, and 




Indians Surprise a Detachment of Soldiers. 

beckoning him to approach. As he approached, the man moved 
further and further away, till at last Zebulon and his four hundred 
men found themselves in a dense and desolate forest, and a long 
way from the fort. While they were wishing themselves back 
again, all at once the Indian warwhoop rang through the air, and 
John Butler and his men fell upon them. 

Even then Zebulon might have saved his party, if he had 
made them stand firm; but someone cried, "The Colonel has 
ordered a retreat," and they scattered and fled. Of all the four 
hundred, only sixty — of whom Zebulon was one — escaped. 



144 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

I cannot describe to you the horrors of that night. Rushing 
to the fort, John Butler threw into it two hundred of the scalps 
he had torn from the slaughtered men. The people inside sent 
to know what terms would be granted them if they gave up the 
fort. The answer was — The hatchet. 

• They could not defend themselves; the savages broke in, and 
began the slaughter afresh. As they found it took them too long to 
kill the men, women, and children separately, they shut them up 
in their houses, set fire to them, and sat down outside, mocking 
their cries of agony. Every man was put to death, while women 
and little children were driven, half-naked, into the woods, to 
perish of hunger. 

So completely did they do their vile work, that the settlement 
in the Vale of Wyoming ceased to exist altogether, and there was 
nothing left to show where it had stood but a few charred logs 
and heaps of ruin. 

Robert Morris. 

THERE was not much regular fighting in the year 1779- 
Washington had very few soldiers, and the government had 
very little money. Indeed, if it had not been for the gen- 
erous help the country received from several patriotic citizens, 
I do not know what would have happened. 

One of the most generous of these great-hearted men was 
Robert Morris, of Philadelphia. He was a merchant and a man 
of great shrewdness and common sense. Many pleasant stories 
are told of his efforts to raise money for the army when no one 
else could raise a dollar. 

On one occasion a large sum of money in gold and silver was 
required, and the only man who had it to lend was an old Quaker, 
who, as you know, thought fighting altogether wrong, and, of 
course, could not be expected to lend his money to pay or arm 
soldiers. Robert Morris fell in with him, and put on a countenance 
full of grief. The Quaker, perceiving his downcast looks, asked 
him what was the matter. 

'T am dreadfully in want of such a sum of money in gold 
or silver," was the answer; "and I do not know where to get it." 



AMERICAN RE VOL UTION. 



145 



The Quaker, I think, knew pretty well what the money was 
wanted for, though he pretended he didn't. He asked Morris 
what security he could give. Morris said that he would be an- 
swerable for it himself, never hinting anything about the Govern- 
ment or the State. 

"Cease thy sorrows," then said the good Quaker, "thou 
shalt have the money; only thou must never say thou hadst it 
of me." 

And it was paid accordingly, and the poor soldiers goc shoes 
and clothes with it. It is almost impossible to believe that this 
same Robert Morris, who had so freely given his own for his 
country, and done so much for American freedom, spent the last 
years of his life wretchedly, in prison for debt. It was so, how- 
ever. 



Captain Paul Jones. 

/iNOTHER brave man who began to make a great noise in 
/ I the world at this time was John Paul Jones, the sailor. He 
XA^ was born in Scotland. When he was only twelve years old 
he took to the sea, and became a daring and gallant mari- 
ner. His sympathies were with the Americans, and when the 
war broke out he was the first man to hoist the American flag 
(it was at first a rattlesnake, but was altered to the Stars and 

Stripes about a year after the Declaration of 
Independence.) 

The Americans were not able to build 
large ships to fight those of the British, nor 
did the Government have a great many ves- 
sels of any kind during the war. But priva- 
teers took a great many ships away from the 
British war-sailors. 

At first Paul Jones cruised on the coast 
of the United States, pouncing on the Eng- 
lish ships, big and little, and carrying them off 
as prizes. But he pined for greater deeds than these. In his 
ship called the Ranger he sailed across to the British coast, and 




John Paul Jones. 



146 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

very soon began to make himself known and dreaded. After a 
time the captains of ships could not sleep for fear of bold John 
Paul Jones, who was always dashing down upon them like the 
wind of a stormy night, hailing them in a voice of thunder, and 
bidding them strike their flag. 

Once, in sailing past a harbor in Ireland, he saw an English 
ship of war called the Drake. John Paul Jones went outside the 
harbor and the Drake sailed out. Her captain had heard that 
the Ranger was near, and came out to capture her, crowds of 
boats following him to see the American vessel made a prize. 

Then Drake sailed up and hoisted the English colors. Paul 
Jones remained where he was, and hoisted the American colors. 
Then the captain of the Drake shouted through his speaking- 
trumpet, what ship was that? 

Paul Jones -shouted back that it was the American ship 
Ranger. 

On this he put the helm up and gave the Drake a broad- 
side. Then the fight began, and before dark the Drake struck 
her flag, and bold Paul Jones carried her off as a prize. 

Afterward he made a sudden descent on St. Mary's Isle, 
where the Earl of Selkirk lived, in order to take the Earl prisoner 
and keep him till the war was over. As it happened, the Earl 
was not at home at the time, and Paul Jones, after landing, and 
finding he was away, turned again toward his boats. 

But his sailors, who knew how much plunder the British 
cruisers had made on the coasts of America, grumbled, and cried 
that they must have something to repay them for their pains. 
Paul Jones, hnding it impossible to satisfy them, said that they 
might go to the Earl's house, and receive his plate from the 
servants; but that they were not to disturb anything or hurt any- 
one. It was so done, and the Ranger sailed away, without having 
done the least harm on St. Mary's Isle, or taking anything but 
the Earl's plate. 

When the plate was sold Paul Jones bought it, and sent it 
back to the Earl's wife, with a very pretty letter, saying that he 
was not a thief or a pirate, but a sailor, who scorned to gain 
wealth by such means. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 147 

Le Bon horn me Richard. 

/IFTER this Paul Jones tried hard to get the command of a 
/\ squadron which Congress was fitting out in France. He 
X^\^ wrote letter after letter without avail, and at last began to 
despair. But, one day, while reading Franklin's little book 
called Poor Richard — in French, Le Bonhomme Richard — he found 
this passage: "If a man wants to have any business faithfully 
and quickly performed, let him go himself. " Paul Jones put down 
the book, and went himself. And the consequence was that he 
got the command he wanted; and, to mark his gratitude, he 
named his ship Le Bonhomme Richard. 

Le Bonhomme sailed with two other vessels, all under bold 
Paul Jones, and once more the seaports of the British Isles were 
in an agony of terror. Men would start from their beds, and 
captains from their cabins, with terrified gaze and whitened cheek, 
at the very name of terrible Paul Jones. 

He took a good many small vessels, and at last he fell in 
with a British frigate — the Serapis — a stronger and larger vessel 
than his own. It was close to the British shore, and, the moon 
being up, crowds of people flocked to the shore to see the hght. 

The commander of the Serapis, a brave sailor. Commodore 
Richard Pearson, shouted through his trumpet: "What ship is 
that?" He knew very well what ship it was; and a minute after 
he knew still better, for Paul Jones gave the signal, and poured 
a terrible broadside into the Serapis. Then, running the Bon- 
homme Richard into her, he ordered the two vessels to be lashed 
together, to fight at closer quarters. 

For an hour or so the battle raged with great fury on both 
sides, and man after man was carried below. Then Pearson, who 
began to think enough had been done in the way of fighting, 
called to Jones, to ask if his ship had struck. 

"Struck!" roared Paul Jones, "why I am only just beginning 
to fight." 

And for an hour or so longer the battle continued. At last, 
both ships being on fire, and almost every man on board the 
Serapis being killed, she surrendered. 



148 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

When the sun rose next morning the Stars and Stripes floated 
over the masthead of the Serapis. Almost the first thing Paul 
Jones saw was his own dear ship — the Bonhomme Richard — sinking 
to the bottom, from the injuries she had received during the fight. 
He then took possession of the Serapis, and sailed away. 

After that he entered the service of foreign princes, and was 
appointed Admiral by the Empress of Prussia. 

But he was of a restless disposition, and on account of a 
dispute between himself and the Empress he went to Paris to 
seek employment. After a time his money was spent and pov- 
erty stared him in the face. 

In 1796, when Washington was President of the United States, 
he appointed him to go to Algiers to settle a difficulty. He pre- 
pared for the journey, and made up his mind to lay one more 
claim to the gratitude of the United States. But before he left 
Paris, he fell ill, and soon after died, with but few friends around 
him. 

His was a sad history. 

Emily Geiger. 

A STORY is told of the war in the South, which shows how 
gloriously the fire of patriotism burned in every heart. 
On one occasion an American general wanted to send 
a message to Sumter. He could not find a man to carry 
it, as the English scoured the country, and it seemed almost cer- 
tain that anyone who separated from the army would be taken 
prisoner. While he was thinking how he should manage, a young 
girl, named Emily Geiger, went to him, and said she would carry 
the message. 

He wrote a letter, and told Emily what it contained, in case 
it should be lost. Then she started alone, on horseback. On the 
way, as was expected, she fell in with a party of British soldiers, 
who took her prisoner, and shut her up in a room. She knew 
that she would be searched, and that the letter would be found, 
if she did not make away with it; so, having no other means of 
destroying it, she tore it up, and ate it piece by piece. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 149 

A few minutes after she had done so, an old woman came 
in and searched her. But finding nothing, she told the officer 
there was no use in keeping her prisoner. Emily was accordingly 
set free, and rode off in all haste to Sumter, to whom she de- 
livered the message. 

Arnold the Traitor and Andre the Spy. 

WE now come to one of the saddest episodes in the Rev- 
olution. 
You remember that among the many brave men who 
fought on the American side when the war broke out, no 
one had more opportunities of proving how daring a soldier he 
was than General Benedict Arnold. He had been to Ticonderoga 
with Ethan Allen, to Canada with Montgomery; had fought val- 
iantly against Burgoyne, until, at the battle of Behmus's Heights, 
his leg was broken, and he was disabled. At this battle, it is 
said, he lost his reason. 

A great deal has been written about General Arnold. Some 
have tried to make him out an injured man. There is no doubt 
of his having been at last a black-hearted villain. 

When he was wounded, Washington gave him the command 
of Philadelphia. He was wonderfully fond of pomp and display; 
he took the house of Governor Penn, fitted it up with great mag- 
nihcence, and began to give splendid parties, and spent immense 
sums of money. His own fortune was soon exhausted; but he 
had public money in his hands, and dishonestly used it for his 
own purposes. Congress soon found it out, and reproached him. 
He replied in a most insolent strain; accused Congress of ingrat- 
itude, and pretended to be the most innocent and injured man in 
the country. 

In society in Philadelphia he had met a beautiful young lady, 
the daughter of an old Tory. He fell in love, and married her. 
This was his second misfortune. For, when his angry heart was 
brooding over the reprimand he had received from Congress, his 
young wife's friends came to him, and asked why he suffered 
such an insult. He might, they said cunningly, go over to the 



150 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

English, who would know better than to ill-use so fine an officer. 
It was just what Arnold was thinking. 

Then, again, he was deeply in debt for his balls and his 
dinners, and the expenses of his fine house; and after Congress 
had refused to allow him to rob the country any more, he could 
not find means to pay his creditors. He tried to make money 
by speculating, but his ill-luck never deserted him, and he only 
plunged deeper and deeper into debt. 

You remember the dashing young officer in the British army, 
named Andre. Mrs. Arnold had been a friend of his, and still 
wrote him letters from time to time. There is no doubt but this 
pretty young lady had a hand in other letters which began to be 
written at this time. 

They were signed "Gustavus," and addressed to "John An- 
derson;" and seemed to be all about shipments of goods, invoices, 
and ships. But, in reality, the goods meant were the United States, 
which the letters proposed to sell to the English; Gustavus was Ben- 
edict Arnold, and John Anderson was Major Andre. The wretched 
traitor offered to desert to the English for a sum of money. 

To make himself worth more, Arnold pretended to be well 
again — though he never wholly recovered from his wound — and to 
be anxious to serve his country once more. At his earnest request 
he was appointed to the command of West Point, on the Hudson. 
This was one of the strongest places which remained to the Amer- 
icans; and Arnold knew that the British would give almost any- 
thing to gain it. 

The moment he arrived there, he sent word to the British 
General CHnton that he was ready to give up the Fort at West 
Point for a sum of money; and that he had divided his army in 
such a way that each division could be easily beaten by the British. 
At first, Clinton did not think Arnold worth buying at the 
price, but finally concluded so good a chance should not be lost. 
Major Andre had already had much to do with the traitor, 
and was besides a shrewd and able officer, so he sent him to 
meet Arnold, by appointment, near Dobb's Ferry. A British 
sloop, the Vulture, lay near the place. Andre went on board of 
her, and waited for a messenger from Arnold. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



151 



In the dead of night the sound of oars were heard, and a 
boat pulled alongside the Vulture. Andr6 leaped into her, and 
was soon ashore. In a thick bush, at the foot of the Clove 
mountain, he met the villain Arnold, who began trembling and 




Arrest of Major Andre. 

quaking — all his courage had deserted him now. The boat's crew 
becoming anxious to be off, Andre and Arnold mounted horses 
and rode a short distance higher up the bank to a house within 
the American lines. 

They tell a very pretty story of Andre's reluctance to enter the 
lines, and make out that he was entrapped by Arnold. But probably 
he was not so squeamish. He had come to meet Arnold in order 
to fulfill his plan of treason; and he was not likely to stand upon 
trifles. It is quite certain that Andre believed he was only doing 



152 5 TORIES FROM AMERICA N HIS TOR V. 

his duty and serving his country; though it is a great pity any 
country should ever need to be served by such means. 

When the conference was over, Major Andre started to re- 
turn to New York. As he was to pass through the American 
Hnes, he took a disguise, and received from Arnold a passport 
under his old name of John Anderson. The first American posts 
he passed without trouble; the officers being satisfied with the 
passport. 

But as he was galloping along the road near Tarrytown, a 
man sprang from the wayside, seized the bridle of his horse, and 
challenged him. Two others appeared and asked him who he 
was. Andre did not answer the question, but asked them who 
they were. Suspecting mxischief, they replied; "From below;" 
meaning from the British headquarters at New York. 

Andre felt quite relieved at this. 

"And so am I," said he. "I am an English officer on urgent 
business; do not detain me." 

"Then you are our prisoner," cried one of the men; "get 
ofi your horse." 

They searched him at once, arid found in his stockings full 
plans of the fort at West Point, and directions, written by Arnold, 
for the capture of the fort and the destruction of the American 
army. 

Andre was distracted. He offered the men his watch, his 
purse, anything they chose, if they would let him go. But they 
scorned his offers. They were poor, they said, but not so poor 
as to sell their country. He must remain their prisoner. 

He was taken before Colonel Jamieson, who was so astonished 
at the papers found on Andre's person that he wrote foolishly to 
Arnold to say that "Anderson" had been taken, and to ask what 
the papers meant. The traitor was breakfasting with two of 
Washington's officers when the letter came. He was so finished 
a villain that the quivering of his lip at the intelligence was so 
slight that his guests did not notice it. Hastily making some 
excuse, he rushed off to his wife's room, and exclaimed, "All is 
discovered. Andre is a prisoner. Burn all my papers; I fly to 
New York!" 



AMERICAN RE VOLUTION. 1 53 

With a shriek his wife fainted. The wretched man had not 
time to think even of her. In a few hours he knew his treason 
would be discovered. Springing on horseback, he tore to the river. 
A boat was there; he leaped into it, and waving his handkerchief 
as a flag of truce to the batteries, he bade the oarsmen pull for 
their lives to the Vulture. He dared not breathe till he stood on 
her decks, safe under the English flag. 

News of what had happened soon reached Washington, who 
hastened to West Point. As soon as he had made sure of the 
garrison, he ordered a court-martial to be held to judge the prisoner 
Andre. 

When Andre heard that Arnold was safe, he threw off his 
disguise, and openly avowed that he was a British officer. Brought 
before the court-martial, he would not deny or conceal anything, 
but candidly confessed why he was there, and what he had done. 

He was so young, so manly, so noble in his bearing, that 
everyone who heard him felt his heart yearn toward him. Some 
of the members of the court-martial cried when the sentence was 
rendered. But the rules of war were clear and plain. It was not 
possible to mistake the nature of his fault. Major Andre was con- 
demned to be hanged as a spy. 

The moment the news of his arrest reached New York, Gen- 
eral Clinton, who loved him as his son, sent messengers in hot 
haste to Washington, beseeching him to spare his life. He offered 
any prisoner, or several, in exchange for him. Even the traitor 
Arnold sent word to say that Andre was not a spy, but had 
entered the lines under a flag of truce. 

When the gallant Andre heard of it, though his life hung 
on the question, he promptly declared that Arnold had written 
a falsehood. He said he had not come under a flag of truce. 

General Clinton proposed to Washington that his case should 
be discussed by an officer on each side. Washington agreed. 
The British officer said everything that could be said in favor of 
the unfortunate Andre. He threatened to have all the Carolina 
prisoners put to death if Andre were executed; Greene answered 
that no one deplored Andre's fate more than himself, but that even 
if the English should threaten to butcher every American in the 



154 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

land, the sentence of the court-martial would nevertheless be 
carried out. 

When the time came, Andr^ was prepared to die. He wrote 
a very touching letter to General Clinton, entreating him to see 
that his mother and sisters, who had been dependent on him for 
support, were not left to starve. 

Having dispatched this letter, he wrote to the court-martial 
begging that he might die the death of a soldier. They had not 
the heart to reply no; but the rules of war positively declared that 
a spy must be hanged, and Washington had resolved to carry 
them out. 

On the second of October he was led to the scaffold. "And 
must I die thus?" he cried, seeing the rope. The soldiers were all 
in tears. Turning to them, after a short prayer, he said, "Bear 
witness that I die as a brave man should." The next minute he 
was no more. 

It is said that Andrd became a soldier from disappointment. 
He had deeply loved a beautiful girl in England, who did not 
requite his affections; when she married another, he left his native 
land to serve in the army in America. 

If you are sorry for brave young Andre, as I am sure you 
are, you must remember what the consequence would have been 
had his scheme been successful. West Point would have fallen 
into the hands of the British — the army would have been destroyed 
— who knows whether the independence of the United States 
would have been gained to this day? 

Benedict Arnold was very miserable after Andre's death. His 
first act, when safe inside New York, was to write a pitiful letter 
to Washington, declaring that he had acted from the best of 
motives, and begging that his wife and child might be sent to him. 
He then published a sort of appeal to the American people, ad- 
vising them to follow his example and become traitors likewise. 
For their part, they perfectly agreed with Washington, when he 
said that "Arnold's conduct was so villainously perfidious that no 
terms could describe the baseness of his heart." 

Clinton, always remembering the death of his friend Andre, 
could not bear the sight of him; and, though he was made a gen- 



^ - AMERICAN RE VOL UTION. 1 5 5 

eral in the British army, the officers would not associate with him. 
As usual in such cases, the British very naturally argued that a 
man who had been a traitor to his own country would be a traitor 
to them, if anything were to be made by it. 

Surrender of Cornwallis. 

yi FTER Burgoyne surrendered, the Americans always felt more 
/\ hopeful; still there were powerful armies yet to defeat, the 
_^^'j^ greatest ones being those of Cornwallis in Virginia and Clin- 
ton in New York. 

At last came the final battle between Cornwallis' troops and 
those of Washington. A large party of French landed and joined 
the Americans; and both together proceeded to besiege Cornwallis 
in Yorktown. 

He was fairly caught in a trap. The French and Americans 
— who had more than twice as many men as he — surrounded him 
by land on every side; and the French fleet locked up the mouth 
of the river. He sent word, in all haste, to Clinton to come to 
his assistance; but that general, who had ceased to chuckle by 
this time, could not get his ships ready, and wrung his hands in 
despair. 

The siege began with great vigor, and every day the besiegers 
approached closer to the walls. Cornwallis did all he could to 
save himself. He tried to cross the river in boats, but a storm 
drove the boats out to sea. 

At length, after six weeks' siege, on the nineteenth of October, 
1781, Lord Cornwallis surrendered with all his army; seven thou- 
sand soldiers becoming prisoners of war. With all their defeats, 
the Americans had never suffered such a blow as this was to the 
British. 

A story is told of this surrender which I like to believe. Be- 
fore the British troops marched out of Yorktown to lay down their 
arms, Washington rode up to the Americans, who were drawn out 
in line, and said, 

"My boys, let there be no insults over a conquered foe. 



156 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

When they lay down their arms, don't huzza. Posterity will 
huzza for you." 

Such events are even more pleasant to think of than victories 
in the field. 

When the people of England heard that Lord Cornwallis had 
surrendered, they could rest quiet no longer, and great tumults 
arose. 

The people said that the war was wrong from the beginning; 
that the King had no right to tax the Americans without their 
consent; that though the English had won many battles, they had 
gained nothing; on the contrary, had lost two armies, had spent 
immense sums of money, and were no farther advanced toward 
the conquest of America than they were six years before; that the 
Americans were a sturdy race, and would never give up. 

These were the things the strong-hearted men of England 
shouted in the ears of the King and the great lords. 

But the King and the lords were as obstinate as ever, and, 
as for talking, you might as well have talked to a stone wall. 

The men of London assembled, and said plainly that they 
would have their \vay, no matter what it cost. They threatened 
the King that, unless he made peace with the United States, they 
would vote him no more money. 

It would take too long to relate all the shilly shally trickery 
and dodging which preceded the peace. The fact was,' old lords or 
new lords, it was much the same thing. They one and all tried 
to cheat the United States in every way they could. 

In the end, however, a treaty of peace was made at Paris, 
in the year 1783. The King of England acknowledged at length 
the independence of the United States. 

Before the close of the year, Charleston, New York, Long 
Island and Staten Island were evacuated by the British, and the 
British soldiers taken with Burgoyne and Cornwallis allowed to go 
home. The American troops entered New York as the British 
left it, and great were the shouting, and cheering, and blazing of 
fireworks, as they marched in with drums beating and colors 
flying. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 157 

Washington Taking Leave of His Army. 

yiT twelve o'clock on a certain day General Washington took leave 
/\ of his soldiers. He said a very few words, told them of 
^^^"]^ his love for them and gratitude for their services during the 
war, and begged them to grasp his hand once more ere 
they parted. Each did so; and a good many rough, weather- 
beaten old fellows, who looked tough, as if they had been made of 
cast iron, cried like children at the parting. 

Washington hastened to Annapolis, where Congress was sit- 
ting, and, in the presence of all the members assembled, resigned 
his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the armies. He made 
a short and very touching speech, and the President of Congress 
replied, praising and blessing him in very strong language, but 
not stronger than he deserved. 

Washington then returned to his quiet home at Mount Ver- 
non, and prepared to enjoy tranquillity and repose. 

We shall hear more of him yet, but it is not possible to 
reflect on what he had done during the past eight years without 
already feeling a livelier love and a deeper respect for him than 
any other character in history. Not because he had served his' 
country without pay; though that is not by any means a common 
occurrence either in this or any other nation. Not because he had 
fought so well and so skillfully against the best soldiers that 
England could send against him; though many men whom we are 
taught to admire and respect were nothing but soldiers, yet not 
so able in this respect as he. Nor yet because he had been 
successful in freeing his country; though this alone, as you know, 
is quite enough to secure for any man immortal fame. 

You will love and respect George Washington because of his 
whole-souled devotion to this country, a feeling into which not one 
spark of selfishness or ambition ever entered. Because, from the 
day he took command of the Continental army to that on which 
he resigned his commission, his great mind never once, even for 
an instant, swerved from the pursuit of the object he had under- 
taken to gain. Because good report did not spoil or bad report 
irritate him. Because in the darkest hour of distress, when almost 



158 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

everyone about him lost heart and hope, he never despaired of 
his country. Because in success and defeat he was always the 
same — firm, vigorous, prudent, wise; and all the envious creatures 
who surrounded him, seeking an opportunity of doing him a mis- 
chief, never once found the tiniest loophole through which his 
honor, or his virtue, or his courage, or his sagacity, might be 
assailed. 

War versus Peace. 

IT seems quite a pleasant thing for us to-day to think of the 
battles won by the Americans. We can fancy them charging 
in high spirits and with great shouts, and the English flying 

before them — as they sometimes did — and at last, when the 
fight was over, the soldiers returning to their camp with huzzas 
of victory, and sitting down, begrimed with blood, and dust, and 
sweat, and powder, but exultant in the full pride of having struck 
a blow for freedom and their children. But though this picture 
was realized now and then during the tussle, there was another 
which might have been seen far more frequently. 

That picture was sorrow, poverty, despair. We who live in 
peace-time have never seen the real horrors of war. We have 
never gazed on villages blazing in flames, houses sacked, men 
murdered by the roadside, women and little children driven into 
the woods to live with foxes and wolves and wildcats. 

All these and many worse things were endured in each of the 
thirteen States at various times. Often and often in the course 
of these eight years men said to themselves that it would be 
better to submit to the English than to suffer such misery; happy 
it was for them and for you that George Washington and the 
other leaders did not share these feelings. 

American Money. 

WHEN the war broke out, Congress had no money to pay 
its soldiers. It raised funds by issuing paper bills, which 
were to be paid at a fixed time afterward; and severa 
of the States did the same thing. For a short while 
people took these bills instead of money. But, as the war went 



A M ERIC A N RE VOL UTION. 



159 




on, people began to fear that England might conquer them, and 
that the bills would never be paid. Then the bills began to be 
current for less than their original value — one dollar in coin being 
worth two and three and four in paper. After a short time they 
fell again, and men who had gold or silver would not exchange 
^mmmmmmKmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm^ one dollar of it 



for less than 
twenty paper 
dollars. Again 
after a short time 
they fell still low- 
er, and continued 
to fall till one 
silver dollar was 
worth one thous- 
and in paper. 

The conse- 
quence was that 
the price of all 

VIrsinia Currency. things rOSC CUOr- 

mously. In some places a coat was worth more than a thousand 
dollars in paper. Congress was so poor that when La Fayette went 
to Virginia to oppose Cornwallis no one would give him clothes 
for his men on the credit of the United States. He was 'forced 
to buy them himself on his own account. 

Before the end of the war many paper bills fell to nothing, 
and I dare say some of them were sent to the mills to be ground 
up and made into paper again. 




ON£ SIXTH OFA. SPANISH 

ihtreof^ GoidorSiiver 
/o^£giveniiL£xcliaiige at 

Treasury of VIRGINIA, 

Tursuani fo ACT of 

ASSEl^BXiY 




VIRGINIA CURRENCY^ 



La Fayette. 

THE people of France had never blamed us for revolting 
against England. Those two countries were old enemies, 
and Frenchmen were glad to see English pride have a fall. 
So it would not seem fitting to close these pages of the 
Revolution without at least mentioning the young French nobleman, 
La Fayette, who offered his services to America in time of trouble. 



i6o STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

When less than twenty years of age, while at a dinner with 
the Duke of Gloucester, he heard of the struggle of the Americans, 
their Declaration of Independence, and the preparations made to 



La Fayette. 

crush thfci ). His young soul was fired with aspirations to give 
them aid; and quitting the army he hurried to Paris and offered 
his services to America. When Congress sent him word the country 
was too poor to pay his passage to America, he answered that he 
was so much the more resolved to go. Although he had just 
married a young and beautiful girl, and a bright career was opened 
for him in his own country, she, generous as he, cheerfully con- 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. i6i 

sented to his departure, and he left all and hastened to America 
in a vessel fitted out at his own expense. He offered his services 
to the Continental Congress, and that body gave him the com- 
mission of a major-general. Three days afterward he was intro- 
duced to Washington at a public dinner, and within less than forty 
days he was gallantly fighting for freedom in America. That young 
general was the Marquis de La Fayette, whose name is forever 
linked with that of Washington and Liberty. 

He returned to France, and I am sorry to tell you that during 
the French Revolution, one of the vilest of the many vile acts 
which the kings of Europe did was the treatment of General 
La Fayette. In the midst of the trouble he had gone into Ger- 
many, and placed himself in their power. They seized him as 
though he had been a thief, and thrust him into a prison in 
Prussia, for no better reason than his love of liberty. 

When Washington heard of it, he wrote to the King of Prussia, 
begging that La Fayette might be set free. But before his letter 
reached the King, La Fayette had been handed over to another 
tyrant, the Emperor of Austria, who had plunged him into a damp, 
unwholesome dungeon. 

Washington wrote to the Emperor as he had written to the 
King of Prussia. The Emperor was more likely to have sent Wash- 
ington to prison to keep La Fayette company, if he had had a 
chance, than to set the gallant Frenchman free. 

Years and years the brave man languished in his damp, dirty 
cell, breathing foul air, and his great heart almost breaking under 
the weight of his misfortune. Once, a young man from South 
Carolina started from America to endeavor to rescue him. He 
succeeded in getting La Fayette out of prison; but he was caught 
directly afterward, and chained up more closely than before. 

It was not until the great Napoleon was at the head of the 
French that La Fayette once more regained his freedom. Na- 
poleon, as you know, did nothing by halves. He sent word to 
the Emperor of Austria that La Fayette must be given up at once, 
or he would go and take him. On which the Emperor made des- 
perate haste to open the doors of the dungeon, and sneakingly 
pretended that he did so out of regard for the United States, 



1 6a 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY, 



National Hymn. 



M 



Y country, 'tis of thee, 
Sweet land of liberty. 
Of thee I sing; 
Land where my fathers died, 
Land of the pilgrim's pride, 
From ev'ry mountain side 
Let freedom ring! 

My native country, thee, 
Land of the noble free. 

Thy name I love; 
I love thy rocks and rills, 
Thy woods and templed hills; 
My heart with rapture thrills 

Like that above. 



Let music swell the breeze, 
And ring from all the trees, 

Sweet freedom's song; 
Let mortal tongues awake; 
Let all that breathe partake; 
Let rocks their silence break, 

The sound prolong. 

Our fathers' God, to thee. 
Author of liberty. 

To thee we sing; 
Long may our land be bright 
With freedom's holy light; 
Protect us by thy might, 

Great God, our King! 




PART IV. 

The American Nation. 




LTHOUGH the war was ended, and peace and inde- 
pendence were secured, there was much to be done 
to make things prosperous. The Americans had 
become deeply in debt on account of the war; and 
they soon found that the Articles of Confederation 
would not answer as the great and enduring laws of the 
Government. 

Many of the best men in the country talked these 
things over. Washington was very anxious about it, for he saw- 
that unless something was done very soon much trouble would 
come. The next spring a Convention met at Philadelphia. 
Washington was elected President; and nearly all the best and 
wisest men of the country were members. 

It sat nearly four months, discussing the Constitution to be 
adopted. It was not possible, I think, to frame a constitution 
that would have exactly suited all parties. No man, in private 
life, can have everything his own way; and so none of the States 
could expect to have a constitution framed precisely according to 
their own wishes. The best that could be done was to follow 
the example of all wise and prudent people in private life, namely, 
for each to yield something to the others; and this was finally 
agreed upon by the members. 

When the discussion was over, and the fierce arguments which 
had been used were rankling in the minds of many of the mem- 
bers, old Benjamin Franklin arose with a written paper in his 
hand. The venerable patriot was feeble and unable to read aloud 
what he had written. Another member read his speech to the 

163 



i64 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Convention; and you might have heard a leaf rustle, so silent 
were the members while it was read. 

It was full of words of kindness and charity. The wise old 
man implored his friends to silence their disputes for the country's 
welfare; reminded them that the only danger they had to fear 
was disunion among themselves; and appealed to each one then and 
there to give a proof of his love for the young republic by yield- 
ing something for the common good, and giving to his neighbor 
the right hand of fellowship. 

These gentle counsels had a wonderful effect. Members 
forgot their disputes and shook hands warmly with each other. 
Very shortly after the Constitution of the United States was 
adopted; and the thirteen States were requested to declare whether 
or no they would abide by it. 

After a time it was ratified and became the law of the land. 

It is so still, although it has been altered in some points. I 
know of no constitution in the world so free, so safe, so wise. 
There are people still who try to pick all sorts of holes in it, and 
tell you that this is wrong and that is wrong; that this should be 
changed and that that should be stricken out or put in. 

It has served this country io8 years, during which time the 
United States have grown from a poor, feeble, divided nation to 
be one of the richest and the strongest powers in the world. May 
it serve them still, when centuries after that shall have rolled 
their course, and most of us who live to-day have been long, 
long since forgotten! 

New York was the seat of government. The old Town Hall, 
where Congress met, was a wretchedly rickety building, and as 
the time for the meeting of Congress drew near the people of 
New York were ashamed of it. A few rich men subscribed a 
large sum to repair it and furbish it up, so that it should look 
decent; but it had a rather shabby appearance notwithstanding. 

It is amusing to think that on the fourth of March, the day 
fixed for the meeting of Congress, only eight senators and thirteen 
representatives were present. They wrote urgent letters to their 
missing colleagues, begging them to come to New York as soon 
^s possible. But in those days the roads were bad, and coache§ 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 



165 



were scarce. Many of the members had to ride to New York on 
horseback. Others sailed along the coast in boats. In some 
places the people thought so little about politics that they forgot 
to elect members of Congress. How different from our time! 



First President of the United States. 

/4T last, on the sixth of April, the Senate began its sittings. 
/\ The representatives walked into the Senate Chamber, and 
^£~\^ the President of the Senate opened the ballot-box to count 
the votes for president. When he had counted them, he 
declared that George Washington was unanimously elected first 
President of the United States. John Adams, who had the next 
greatest number of votes, was Vice-President. 

A messenger was sent off to Mount Ver- 
non to acquaint Washington with his elec- 
tion. He was living quietly in his peaceful 
home, busy in his fields, and hoping that 
he had done with public life; but when he 
heard that he had been elected President, 
he declared at once that he would obey 
his country's call, and started for New 
York. 

He wished to travel privately; but this 
the people would not allow. At every 
town on the way, the people flocked round 
him, welcoming him and giving grand fetes 
in his honor. When he reached Trenton, in New Jersey, where he 
had fought a few years before, a very pretty reception was given 
him. On the bridge an arch had been raised, with this inscription: 
"The defender of the mothers will be the protector of the 
daughters." 

A band of young girls dressed in white stood under the arch, 
waiting till Washington came up. When he approached, they 
strewed the way with flowers. 

He had a grand reception, at New York, with no end of 
cheering, and shouting, and firing of cannon, and fireworks. 




Qeorge Washington, 1732-1799. 



i66 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

The carpenters were still hammering, and sawing, and chop- 
ping at the old Federal Hall, as it was called, and, on their ac- 
count, Washington was obliged to wait a week to be inaugurated. 
In the meantime a great discussion arose in the Senate and the 
House of Representatives about the title to be given to him. The 
House said: Call him plain Mr. President. But the Senate an- 
swered that would never do. He must have some title, like the 
chief rulers of other nations. One proposed one title, another 
another; and for some time the Senate was in great perplexity on 
the subject. At last they agreed upon a title which they thought 
excessively neat and appropriate. It was: "His Highness, the 
President of the United States and Protector of their Liberties." 

Happily, there was a little common sense in the House, and 
they cut the matter short by addressing Washington as ' ' The 
President." 

On the 30th of April, 1789, he was inaugurated the first 
President of the United States — that is, he laid his hand upon the 
Bible and solemnly promised, in the presence of thousands of 
people, to do all in his power to be a good and faithful governor. 
When he had taken it, Chancellor Livingston turned to the crowds 
assembled in Wall and Broad streets, and cried, 

"Long live George Washington, President of the United 
States." 

In all its riots and its battles New York had never heard such 
a shout as arose from the multitude when those words were heard. 
From river to sea, from the forest to the shore, the air rang again 
and again with the cry, "Long live George Washington!" 

The Administration of Washington, 1789=1797. 

THE first thing Washington did was to choose his cabinet 
officers. The country was in debt and Washington realized 
he must hrive at the head of the treasury a man of ability, 
so he chose Alc^xander Hamilton. 
The first thin^ ncedfal was to pay the debts created by the 
war. To this subject Alexander Hamilton gave his whole mind. 
He had proved himself a good soldier during the war; when it 



THE AMERICAN NATJOX. 



\6y 



ended, he became a lawyer, and rose to great fame at the bar; 
and now, he gave proof of equal talent as a statesman. 

Most of those who had received the paper bills of the old 
Congress had sold them for very little, believing they would never 
be paid. As soon as Hamilton's plan was made public, the bills 
suddenly rose in value, and those who had bought them made 
great fortunes. I am sorry the poor soldiers and others who first 
received the bills lost money by them; but it will be a lesson to 




Washington's Inaugural. 

you not to lose faith in your country's credit, should misfortune 
hereafter befall her. 

Among other things Hamilton established a National Bank. 
A mint was also started where gold, silver and copper coins were 
made. 

By this time Rhode Island and North Carolina had joined the 
Union, and agreed to the Constitution. Little Rhode Island was 
rather ashamed that she had not come forward before. Thus the 
thirteen States were united once more. 

People used to say that thirteen was an unlucky number, 
though I do not exactly see why. Whether or no, it was not long 
the number of the United States. 

In the olden time, when only the coasts of America were 



1 68 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

peopled, and the banks of a few rivers, the back country was not 
of much account. If you had asked a man who owned a mile of 
land fronting on the ocean how far back his farm went, I dare 
say he would have answered that he claimed back to the Rocky 
Mountains. 

As population increased, and settlers went deeper inland to 
find pleasant sites for towns, this free-and-easy way of measuring 
land was given up. But very troublesome disputes about bounda- 
ries arose. 

A great many settlers had built themselves houses and villages 
on the beautiful valleys westward of the Connecticut and near the 
foot of the Green Mountains. In course of time these settlements 
took the name of Vermont, which is the French for Green Moun- 
tain. The question then arose: To what State did Vermont 
belong? 

New York said it belonged to her. New Hampshire said it 
was hers. While the dispute was going on, the men of Vermont, 
who were stout, independent fellows, met and declared that they 
would belong neither to New York nor New Hampshire, but would 
become a separate State; and in course of time the State of Ver- 
mont was duly admitted to the Union. 

Daniel Boone. 

YOU remember the bold hunter of North Carolina, Daniel 
Boone, who wandered away alone over the mountains into 
the valley of the Kentucky River, and lived nearly a whole 
summer alone in the wilderness, with no other companions 
than deer and foxes and other wild animals. V^hen Daniel 
Boone returned to the sea coast and told how fine a region he 
had found, and what splendid hunting and farming grounds it 
contained, many bold men took their guns on their shoulders and 
followed him thither. Very soon villages reared their heads on 
pleasant slopes, settlers flocked in from all parts of the country, 
and before the war was over Kentucky, as the new region was 
called, was quite a populous district. 

At first it formed part of Virginia; but before many years 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 169 

were over the men of Kentucky began to think of forming a sepa- 
rate State. They sent word to Virginia that such was their wish. 

Virginia made answer that she was glad to hear it, and would 
give them every aid in her power. So, no one objecting, Ken- 
tucky, the fifteenth State, was duly admitted to the Union. 

Soon after the peace a number of the old Regulators and others 
who had crossed the Alleghany Mountains and settled on the 
fertile banks of the Tennessee thought it was high time for them, 
too, to form another State. They met and declared themselves 
independent. 

The City of Washington. 



A 



RATHER lively skirmish took place in the first Congress 

about the seat of government. Each State had the folly 

to imagine that it would be an advantage to have the seat 

of government within its borders. 

When the question arose, there was a general scramble among 

the States. All the States voted against New York. In the end 

it was decided that the seat of government should be located on 

the Potomac. 

Washington chose a tract of land ten miles square, which was 
to belong to none of the States, and was called the District of 
Columbia. Surveyors, architects and masons were set to work 
to build a building, which was called the Capitol, in the new Dis- 
trict. This city now bears the name of Washington, in honor of 
our first President. Meanwhile the seat of government was trans- 
ferred to Philadelphia. 

Washington's Second Term. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON had been elected as President for 
four years. As the close of his term drew near, he wished 
to retire, to live quietly at Mount Vernon. 

But when the people heard that he did not wish to be 
again elected President, a great clamor arose. 'They loved him so 
dearly and trusted him so thoroughly that they were frightened 
at the thought of losing him. 



I70 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

All begged him so earnestly to remain that once more he 
gave up his private wishes to please them. 

When the election took place he was again elected unanimously. 

Later, the people of France, having become tired of a 
monarch, cut off the heads of their King and Queen and many 
other great people. They were resolved to be free and have a 
President, as the United States had. But they did not know how 
to manage such affairs, and a bloody time they had. They sent 
an agent here to persuade our government to help them, as the 
French had helped the Americans in the late war. 

This caused worry, for now that America was at peace with 
England, Washington desired to remain so. He was, however, 
criticised and even harassed. He never retaliated. At times, 
however, he swore in his honest wrath he would rather be in his 
grave than in his place as President. 

Washington's second term as President drawing to a close, 
he resolved not to allow himself to be elected again. He had 
served his country all his life. He was growing old and needed 
rest. The republic was firmly established, and there was no fear 
of its being overturned or shaken. 

He wrote that beautiful address to the people of the United 
States which is called his Farewell Address, told them that they 
must choose some other President, and added that the brief space 
which he had yet to live must be spent in preparation for another 
world. 

History contains nothing so grand or so truly admirable as 
the single-heartedness of Washington at this time. It is very 
likely that he could have made himself King of this country had 
he chosen, or at least President for life, which would have come 
to the same thing. Ambition had no place in his heart. He 
gave up the chief power as soon as he thought it was safe for 
the country; and in bidding farewell to the people he had spent 
his life in serving, and loved with all the warmth of his great 
heart, he never once remembered the insults and the calumnies 
which had been heaped upon him. Oh, if every nation had had 
a Washington! 

George Washington died in 1797. He had not been long ill; 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 



171 



but his whole hfe had been spent in such severe labors for his 
country that he had grown old almost before his time, and when 
disease attacked him it made rapid work. 

To the people the shock was awful. Everyone felt as if he 
had lost a dear relation. He was the man "first in war, first in 
peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." 

The whole nation mourned him as its father. From Boston 
to Savannah nothing but lamentations were heard. Even 



m 




Tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon. 

foreign countries his memory was honored as no private citizen's 
had ever been before. The British fleet lowered their flags to 
half-mast and the French Consul, Bonaparte, ordered a funeral 
oration to be pronounced before him. The world felt it had lost 
one of its greatest glories. 

Many men have led more eventful lives; there are many 
whose careers are a livelier and pleasanter story; but not one can 



172 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

be named who possessed in so high a degree those crowning 
virtues of humanity — truth, honor, constancy, love of country 
and self-denial. 

There is a lesson in his history which you will do well to 
bear constantly in mind. He was not a genius. His qualities were 
those which a great many of you may possess, if you try to foster 
them. Yet through them alone he raised himself to a rank among 
men which not even Napoleon or the greatest heroes of ancient 
or modern times have reached. 

Martha Washington. 

THERE are many noble women who have figured in the his- 
tory of our country, but none who have been more influential 
than the wife of the father of his country — Martha Wash- 
ington. From birth she was endowed with grace, and, as she 
grew to womanhood, possessed a commanding hgure. Even at an 
early age she was characterized by good sense, gentleness of man- 
ner, and a ready power of adaptation to the necessities of life. At 
seventeen she was married to a wealthy gentleman. Colonel Parke 
Custis, of high social standing. Four children were born to them, 
a girl who died in infancy; a son named Daniel, a child of great 
promise, who died young; Martha, who grew to womanhood and 
died in 1770, and John, who became a soldier, served under Wash- 
ington during the Revolution and lost- his life at the siege of York- 
town when only 27 years old. 

At an early age Mrs. Custis was left a widow with two chil- 
dren. In order to educate them and manage her vast estate, she 
was now obliged to apply herself with rare ability and success. 
In 1759 she became the wife of George Washington and removed 
to Mt. Vernon, which became their family residence. Here for 
nearly seventeen -years their married life was passed in the mo- 
notonous round of a planter's existence. When Col. Washington 
was elected a member of the First Congress which assembled in 
Philadelphia he wrote home to his wife the following letter, which 

is the only one still preserved: 

Philadelphia, 18 June, 1775. 
My Dearest: — I am now set down to write you on a subject which fills 



THE A M ERIC A N NA TION. \ 7 3 

me with inexpressible concern, and this concern is greatly aggravated and in- 
creased when I reflect upon the uneasiness I know it will give you. It has 
been determined in Congress that the whole army raised for the defense of the 
American cause shall be put under my care, and that it is necessary for me to 
proceed immediately to Boston to take upon me the command of it. 

You may believe me, my dear Patsy, when I assure you in the most solemn 
manner, that, so far from seeking this appointment, I have used every endeavor 
in my power to avoid it, not only from my unwillingness to part with you 
and the family, but from a consciousness of its being a trust too great 
for my capacity, and that I should enjoy more real happiness in one month 
with you at home than I have the most distant prospect of finding 
abroad, if my stay were to be seven times seven years. But as it has been a 
kind of destiny that has thrown me upon this service, I shall hope that my 
undertaking is designed to answer some good purpose. You might, and I 
suppose did, perceive, from the tenor of my letters, that I was apprehensive I 
could not avoid this appointment, as I did not pretend to intimate when I 
should return. That was the case. It was utterly out of my power to refuse 
this appointment, without exposing my character to such censures as would have 
reflected dishonor upon myself and given pain to my friends. This, I am sure, 
could not and ought not to be pleasing to you, and must have lessened me 
considerably in my own esteem. I shall rely, therefore, confidently on that 
Providence which has heretofore preserved and been bountiful to me, not doubt- 
ing but that I shall return safe to you in the Fall. I shall feel no pain from 
the toil or the danger of the campaign; my unhappiness will flow from the un- 
easiness I know you will feel from being left alone. I therefore beg that you 
will summon your whole fortitude, and pass your time as agreeably as possible. 
Nothing will give me so much sincere satisfaction as to hear this, and to hear 
it from your own pen. My earnest and ardent desire is, that you would pursue 
any plan that is most likely to produce content and a tolerable degree of tran- 
quillity; as it must add greatly to my uneasy feelings to hear that you are dis- 
satisfied or complaining at what I really could not avoid. 

As life is always uncertain, and common prudence dictates to every man the 
necessity of settling his temporal concerns while it is in his power, and while 
the mind is calm and undisturbed, I have, since I came to this place, — for I 
had no time to do it before I left home — got Col. Pendleton to draft a will 
for me, by the directions I gave him, which will I now enclose. The provision 
made for you, in case of my death, will, I hope, be agreeable. 

I shall add nothing more, as I have several letters to write, but to desire 
that you will remember me to your friends, and to assure that I am, with the 
most unfeigned regard, my dear Patsy, 

Your affectionate George Washington. 

It was often her custom to spend her winters in camp, re- 



174 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



lieving its monotony and becoming a ministering angel to the suf- 
fering and sorrowing. No matter how long the journeys, she made 
them in her own carriage, taking care, of course, to have means 
at hand for a speedy departure in case of necessity. She often 




riartha Washing:ton. 

said that "she had heard the first cannon at the opening, and the 
last at the closing of all of the campaigns of the Revolution." 

We have not time here to describe the receptions or court 
etiquette observed at the Presidential mansion. We must stop 
long enough, however, to state that the family always retired at 
half past ten, and that no company was ever received on the Sab- 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 



175 



bath day. In the evening Washington always read to his wife 
from the Bible or from some devotional book. 

The death of Washington was a great shock to the faithful 
wife who had followed him for nearly forty years through all the 
perils and toils of an eventful life. When the death agony was 
over, she calmed herself and said, "It is well, all is now over; I 
shall soon follow him. I have no more trials to pass through." 
Children and husband were now gone, but in God she had an 
unwavering trust. Two years later the summons came and she 
had joined her illustrious companion in the other world. Words- 
worth says of her that she was 

" A perfect woman, nobly planned 
To warn, to comfort, and command; 
And yet a spirit, still and bright. 
With something of an angel light." 



John Adams' Administration — 1797=1801. 

DURING Washington's administration two political parties 
had sprung up. One was called the Republican, the other 
the Federalists. The Republicans wanted each state to 
govern itself, while the Federalists believed in a Congress and 
President, who should stand at the head. And so at the close of 
Washington's presidential term, there was a very hotly con- 
tested election; and Mr. Adams, by a slender majority, was 

chosen President and Thomas Jefferson 
Vice-President. 

John Adams found, indeed as even 
Washington before him had found, the 
crown of empire to be a crown of thorns. 
On the 4th of March, 1797, at Phila- 
delphia, he was inaugurated President of 
the United States. 

These were stormy days, and it required 

great wisdom to safely navigate the ship 

of state. Mr. Adams was conscientious. 

John AUains-1735.1826. patriotic and able, but in the then divided 




176 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



state of the public mind, an archangel could not have made har- 
mony between all parties. The excitement which the French 
Revolution created in this country, as the people ran^^jed themselves 
on the side of England or France, was intense. 

President Washington had sent Mr. Pinckney to Paris, to try 
to concihate the French, and put an end to the seizures of Ameri- 
can ships by French cruisers. But the French Directory would 
not receive him, or have anything to do with him. 

President Adams was a very prudent, cautious man; before 
proceeding to strong measures, he sent a new commission to Paris. 
It was rather cool, when the United States envoys asked the French 
to cease plundering their ships, to answer: We will see about it, 
but, in the mean time, you must give us so much money. 

Charles C. Pinckney, one of the envoys, was quite ready with 
his answer: 

"Millions for defense, 
but not a cent for tribute!" 
So they shook the dust 
off their feet and set out 
homeward with all speed. 
There was no doubt in 
anybody's mind as to what 
was to be done. Some of 
the red-hot Republicans 
who wore cockades in their 

hats, and were always ^l^hs-im-r^^ <//>^^ ^^ 

shouting Liberty, Equality, , ^S^^^A^\^rfh>^ ^^^ 

and Fraternity! made some "^^ ^^^-/^-^ - ^..yArxim^ >c^ .^_ 

sort of excuses for thej 

French to the last. But byj 

far the greater part of the 

people did not see that it 

made any difference whether ooiiy Adams. 

the French were subjects of a king or democrats, so long as they 

seized American ships and stole their cargoes. And Congress 

very willingly agreed to authorize the President to retaliate. 

The nation prepared once more for war. Troops were raised 




THE AMERICAN NA TION. 1 77 

and ships fitted out. President Adams had made up his mind to 
give the French a lesson. 

One of the first ships that sailed was the Delaware, com- 
manded by Captain Decatur, since so famous. He fell in with 
a French schooner called the Croyable, took her, and sent into the 
Delaware a prize. This astonished the French a good deal. 

Several other battles were fought between American and 
French ships before the war ended. I think the former were 
oftener victorious than the latter. At all events, a sufficient number 
of French ships were taken to convince the* Government of France 
that it would not answer to molest the Americans in future; and 
General Bonaparte made haste to conclude a peace with the United 
States. 

The seat of government was now removed to Washington. 
It was hardly a village. There was one ''tavern" not far from the 
Capitol, and a few rude houses scattered in the middle of the 
woods; but people who wanted to live comfortably took lodgings 
at Georgetown. The President's wife, Mrs. Adams, complained 
bitterly that she was obliged to keep great fires going all day to 
guard against fever and ague; and this was the more difficult as 
fuel could not be had. It was, she said, a wild, desolate place, 
not fit for civilized persons to live in. How great a change one 
hundred years or so have made! 

As the time drew near for a fresh election, people began to 
take more interest in politics. Although he was a very honest and 
worthy man, Mr. Adams was not generally liked. He was a Fed- 
eralist. 

The real cause of not being liked was due to having instigated 
Congress to pass two laws called the Alien and Sedition Laws. 
These laws gave a great deal of arbitrary power to the President 
for the getting rid of troublesome foreigners and the putting down 
of those who opposed the government. Mr. Adams' enemies said 
that they were laws only fit for an old despotism like those of 
Europe, and wholly contrary to the spirit of American liberty. 

When the election took place, no one .of the candidates had 
a majority. According to the Constitution, the duty of choosing 
a President devolved upon Congress and the question was whether 



I7S 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Jefferson or Burr should be President, each having received the 
same number of votes. 

Congress sat seven days, and thirty-five ballots were taken 
without any result. On the thirty-sixth ballot Jefferson received 
the votes of ten States, and was thus elected President, Mr. Burr 
becoming Vice-President. 



Administration of Thomas Jefferson. 

THOMAS JEFFERSON,, third President of the United States, 
began his administration with an Inaugural Address which is 
one of the most beautiful and eloquent political papers extant. 
He had his faults, as you have seen; but he was a thorough 
republican, a true lover of humanity, and a wonderfully sagacious 
man. His address fairly broke the backbone of Federalism. One 
by one, nearly all the old Federalists, charmed with the beauty 
and warmth of his sentiments, began to think that after all he 
made as good a President as one of their own party. 

The first event of Jefferson's administration was the trouble 
with the Barbary pirates. You will be ashamed to learn that the 
United States had' agreed to do as other nations did, and pay tribute 
to the Dey of Algiers. But as England, France and Spain had 
been in the habit of paying tribute in order to purchase security for 
their ships. President Adams thought it wise to follow their example. 
The northern coast of- Africa swarmed with little pirates, who 
called themselves Deys and Beys, and so on, 
and lived by robbing foreign ships. Jeffer- 
son saw very plainly that these people 
would never be quiet until they had been 
soundly trounced, and accordingly sent a 
small squadron to the Mediterranean. 

War then commenced between Tripoli 
and the United States. 

The United States now sent Decatur to 

destroy the Philadelphia, which they had 

recently captured from the United States. 

Thomas jefferson-.743-i826. Upon arriving at TripoH Decatur shouted, 




THE AMERICAN NATION. 179 

"Now, boys, board!" In a twinkling the whole seventy-two 
sprang on board the PJiiladclphia. 

The Tripolitans were so much astonished at this extraordinary 
proceeding that a great many of them turned quietly round and 
jumped into the sea. 

Everything had been prepared beforehand, and for twenty 
minutes Decatur's men hardly took time to draw breath. Then, 
the Philadelphia being filled with pitch, and tar, and rosin, and 
gunpowder, they set fire to her, cut with their swords the ropes 
which bound the ketch to her bows, and swun^i off. 

The flames rose like, lightning, dashing through each hatch and 
porthole, hissing along the deck, and creeping up the masts and 
rigging. It was a grand and awful spectacle. Every man, woman 
and child in Tripoli turned out to see. The blazing ship lit up 
the port so brightly that the night seemed as clear as day. As 
the fire glowed, the guns of the Philadelphia became red hot, and 
went off with a heavy, sullen sound, sending their balls into the 
city and the fort. The Bey and his head men swore by the 
Prophet that they would put the "Americanos" to horrible deaths, 
if they caught them. And I dare say they would. But they didn't 
catch them, for the brave Decatur and his gallant little band swept 
out of the harbor as safely as they had sailed into it. 

Soon after this peace was declared, and there was no more 
trouble with the pirates for a time. 

About this time the King of France lost Canada, his affairs 
were in a very bad way, and he was obliged to give up Louisiana 
to the King of Spain. After a time, the King of Spain gave it 
back to France again. 

When General Bonaparte made peace with the United States, 
Jefferson saw the time had come to make an attempt to buy 
Louisiana. 

You will find, if you read the histories of Rome, England, 
France, Russia, Spain, and other great nations, that it was their 
custom, when they wanted this or that strip of land or territory, 
just to send a party of soldiers with swords and flags to take it. 
Sometimes they pretended to pick a quarrel with the owner; as 



1 80 5 TORIES FR OM A ME RICA N HIS TOR V. 

England generally did when she meant to grab a province or a 
kingdom in Asia. 

For all the examples history contains of this sort of work, I 
cannot see myself that it is any more honest than taking a man's 
hat from his head. You know very well that if you take your 
neighbor's hat, and say you did so because you wanted it, it 
would be very wrong. 

President Jefferson, having the honor of the United States 
greatly at heart, determined to pursue a new plan in regard to 
Louisiana. He sent to General Bonaparte, and told him that the 
United States wanted it very badly. He then offered to give 
France a large sum of money in payment for Louisiana. 

I dare say Bonaparte, when he received the message, would 
say to his officers, "What a greenhorn that Yankee must be, to 
talk of paying for the territory he wants! Why doesn't he take 
it by force, as I take what I want?" 

But Jefferson was anxious that the United States should not 
be accused of robbing other nations of what belonged to them, 
and persisted in offering the money. Then Bonaparte, seeing he 
was in earnest, and being desperately in want of money for his 
great wars and land robberies, accepted the offer, and Louisiana 
became part of the territory of the United States. 

Aaron Burr. 

AVERY melancholy event marked the close of Mr. Jefferson's 
first term. The Vice-President, Aaron Burr, was a cunning, 
dark man. He was always plotting and scheming and 
winding himself like a snake into places where he ought not 
to have been. He was at first esteemed by many, but as time 
rolled on people saw that he cared for nothing but himself; that 
he was not honest in his private dealings; that his word was not 
to be trusted. So the Republicans withdrew their confidence from 
him, and resolved, when the election came, to choose George 
Clinton for Vice-President in his stead. 

This was a great blow to Burr's ambition, and he writhed 
under it. But the Governorship of New York becoming vacant. 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 



i8i 



he set up for Governor, and made sure of success, as he had a 
great many friends in the city. On election day, however, his evil 
genius again awaited him, and he lost the election. 

He went home, a darker man than ever, his black heart full 
of spite, rage and revenge. He wanted a victim. 

One of the many wise men whose good opinion Burr had 
never been able to win was Alexander Hamilton. From the first 




Duel Between Hamilton and Burr. 



Hamilton had seen into the lowest depths of his murky soul, and 
would have nothing to do with him. As he was as bold as he 
was wise, when the proper time arrived Hamilton told his friends 
what he thought of Burr; and everyone had so much faith in his 
wisdom that his opposition had much to do with Burr's defeats. 
Burr said that Hamilton must be his victim. You may have 



I«2 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



heard that in former days a very ridiculous practice prevailed, 
which was called dueling. The way of it was this: When a man 
was insulted he said to him who insulted him, 

"Sir, you have done me wrong; to make amends you must 
shoot at me at such a place, such a time." 

This was called a challenge. It was supposed that being shot 
at was an ample reparation for any injury. It is very difficult to 
understand these old customs. 

Burr sent Hamilton a challenge. The latter was very averse 
to accepting it. He had a large family to support, many clients 

to defend in the courts, a public 
duty to fulfill to his country. He 
knew he had been created for 
something better than to be shot 
at by an assassin. 

But the notions of the time 

'\//^ were such that it was very diffi- 

<;'f^ cult for a man of honor to refuse 

■% to fight a duel. Everyone said 

that the challenge was not so 

much a challenge to Hamilton as 

^^^ to the great Federal party; and 

Hamilton, viewing it in this light, 

believed he was bound to accept it. 

He sent word to Burr that he 

would fight him after the term 

was over and he had attended to 

his clients' business. 

When the time came, he set 
his affairs in order, wrote many letters of advice to his friends, 
and prepared for the duel. He had made up his mind not to 
shoot Mr. Burr, but to stand as a mark, to be shot at; and he felt 
an inward presentiment that he should die. Almost his last act 
before leaving New York for the ground was the writing a letter 
to excuse Burr's conduct. 

At seven o'clock in the morning, on a hot day in July, they 
met in New Jersey. The ten paces were marked out, the seconds 




THE AMERICAN NATION. 183 

walked away, and the signal was given. Burr took cool aim, and 
Hamilton fell. 

When the surgeon ran up to him, he was lying on the ground, 
bleeding from a wound in his side. "Doctor," said he, "this is 
a mortal wound;" and he fainted. 

They hurried him to a boat, rowed across the river, and bore 
him to a friend's house in New York. His wife and children were 
sent for in all haste. It was plain he was dying. When his wife 
gave way to her grief and burst into passionate sobs, he turned to 
her and said, calmly, 

"Remember, Eliza, you are a Christian woman." 

So he died — the greatest of the men of the Revolution, save 
Washington alone. He was great in everything — as a soldier, as 
a statesman, as a lawyer, as a writer, as an orator, as a man. 
There was nothing little in any of his acts or thoughts. Honor 
was his guide through life, and to his death he was considered a 
manly man. 

The people of New York were in agony at the news. Almost 
the whole city attended his funeral in the deepest grief. Trinity 
Church and the churchyard, and even the street, were crowded 
with people when Morris pronounced his funeral oration; and a 
thrill shot through the breast of every man as the orator, with 
hands uplifted, cried, 

"I charge you to protect his fame — it is all he has left!" 

Burr, the murderer, fled with the curse of Cain on his brow. 
There was no remorse in his bad heart. 

The country had not recovered fr©m the shock when election 
day came round, and Thomas Jefferson was re-elected President, 
with George Clinton as Vice-President. 

Burr haunted desolate places, and kept out of men's sight. 
In one of his coats, however, a paper was found which was un- 
derstood to indicate a plot on his part against the United States, 
and a party of militia were detailed to capture him. He was soon 
taken, and sent for trial. 

The trial, which took place in August, lasted nearly a month, 
and created a tremendous excitement throughout the country. No 
expense was spared to find out the truth ; but Burr managed mat- 



i84 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

ters so secretly that it was impossible to discover what his plans 
had been. The prosecution failed, and he was acquitted. 

He made the best of his way to Europe, where he spent 
several years very miserably. In England he was accused of being 
a French spy, and driven out of the country. In France he was 
taken for an English spy and imprisoned, and treated with great 
harshness. After a time he made his escape, and returned to New 
York in poverty. He had lost in a shipwreck his only daughter, 
the only person he seems to have loved. 

Still, after his return, he lived twenty-four years in New York 
in obscurity, as cunning, as dark, as secret as ever. When he 
died, people hardly knew of it. 

At the close of Mr. Jefferson's second term, he declared that 
he would not be re-elected President. The country was well satis- 
fied with him. He had administered to the government with great 
skill and wisdom, and if he had tried to be President a third 
time, I dare say he would have been chosen. But he felt that it 
was safer for the republic to change the President as often as 
possible; and, like Washington, he would not allow his own am- 
bition to interfere with the public good. 

He advised his friends to choose as his successor Mr. Mad- 
ison, who had been his Secretary of State; and he was elected 
accordingly. 

Robert Fulton and the First Steamboat. 

IN the year 1807 a most important thing occurred. There had 
come a necessity for more rapid transporation, in order that 
the new manufacturing capacity could be supplied and the 
additional product be carried to the consumer. 
Very naturally as this necessity forced itself on the attention 
of the world, the thoughts of those most interested turned them- 
selves to the highways of water. Here were sailing vessels, but 
much of the time the winds and currents were contrary; sailboats 
were detained by the varying tides; and time was an uncertain 
element. The world demanded something better, something more 
rapid, and what was it to be? 



THE AMERICAN NA TION. 



185 



labors 



these 

and reliable, 

these ships? 



Steam was found to be 
turning the mills, pumping the 
mines, draining marshes and 
all the time showing itself to be 
obedient to the touch of a 
child, and yet powerful as a 
hurricane. So men began very 
naturally to associate this new 
power with the slow going 
ships. They asked themselves, 
if this giant can perform all 
and is willing 
why not propel 
So there began a 
search for a method by which 
this power could be harnessed 
to vessels that crawled all too 
slowly from shore to shore. 

The man for the oppor- 
tunity was Robert 
American, and although he cannot be considered the 
the steamboat, he is the man who gathered up all 
efforts of fifty years' experiments and crystallized 
success. 

Robert Fulton was born on a farm in Pennsylvania. When 
old enough his widowed mother sent him to the country school. 
Here, however, he learned but little, as he was always contriving 
to construct some apparatus. He, however, early developed ability 
as a mechanic and achieved some creditable success as a portrait 
painter. 

At the age of twenty-one he went abroad to study art, but 
soon gave up the study of art for that of civil engineering. He 
then became possessed with the idea of making a boat that 
would go without oars and without sails. Of course people would 
not believe such a thing could be done, but at last Fulton in- 
vented machinery for driving boats by steam. He placed a 
vessel on the Hudson River and it went from New York to Albany 




Fulton, an 

inventor of 

the wasted 

them into 



i86 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY 



in thirty-six hours, "against wind and tide," to the great astonish- 
ment of everybody. This was the commencement of successful 



steamboat navigation in the world. 



The Administration of James Hadison. 

JAMES MADISON, the fourth President of the United States, 
began his work on the fourth of March, 1809. He had a 
hard task before him, owing to the wars in Europe and 
the slackening of trade between the United States and the 
greater European nations. 

By way of proving to them that the United States could do 
without foreign nations, Mr. Madison, being a Republican, appeared 
before Congress, on Inauguration Day, dressed in a suit all the 

materials of which were made in America. 
One American had grown the wool out of 
which his coat was made while his trou- 
sers were of cloth woven by another. 

Still the merchants were not satisfied. 
In New England, especially, they grumbled 
at not being allowed to trade freely with 
England and make fortunes as heretofore. 
During the English and French wars, 
the British lords said to the Americans, 
"You must not trade with France, or we 
will seize your ships." And the French 
Emperor said, in like manner, "You must not trade with Eng- 
land, or I will sell your ships, and put the money in my pocket 
to carry on my wars." Both kept their word, and seized American 
ships, and American cargoes, and American sailors, whenever they 
had a chance. 

Two Indian Brothers. 

ANEW trouble now arose. Two Indians, brothers, and both 
men of great courage and talent, began to stir up the In- 
dians in the West against the United States. 

One was named The Prophet. He pretended to have 




James Madison, 1751 = 1836. 



THE AMERICAN NA TION. 



187 



been sent by Heaven to command the Indians and save them 
from ruin; and said he could make pumpkins grow as big as 
houses with a single word, and much more stuff of the same kind. 
\\ he had said nothing more sensible than this, I don't think he 
would have given much trouble; but he preached zealously against 
the use of whisky and the other Indian vices, and the truth of 
what he said on these subjects gave him great influence. 

His brother was the famous Tecumseh — a man of bright 
shining qualities, valiant in war, generous in victory, wise in 
counsel, heroic in his attachment to his people. 

He was one of the greatest enemies this country ever had. 
His whole life was spent in struggling against the American people. 
To the hour of his death his hatred never flagged. 

These two brothers now declared that no more Indian lands 
should be sold to the Americans without their consent. General 
Harrison (who afterward became President of the United States) 
held a conference with them and tried to argue the point, but 
they would not yield an inch. Tecumseh became so excited at 
last that all parties sprang to arms, and the meeting very nearly 
ended in a fight. 

The bad feeling 
grew worse. As 
usual, little bands of 
Indians would mo- 
lest American set 
tiers; and the latter, 
I dare say, treated 
the Indians as bad- 
ly. Tecumseh told 
Harrison very plain- 
ly that if the United 
States would agree 
to what he wanted 
— namely, that no 
more lands should 
be bought from the ^""'^ ""' " ^''"''■'' '^*''- 

Indians without the consent of all the tribes — he would be their 




1^8 STORIES FROM AMERICAN- HISTORY. 

firm friend. But if not, that he would take the British side if a 
war broke out. 

It was a pity the Government did not try to arrange matters 
with this brave Indian. Instead of doing so, however, Harrison 
resolved to begin the war, and marched against the village of The 
Prophet. It was on the Tippecanoe river, a branch of the Upper 
Wabash. 

When Harrison was within ten miles of the village he sent 
messengers to treat with the Prophet, They were driven back 
with insult. Harrison marched seven miles nearer. There he met 
several Indians who offered to treat, and begged Harrison to wait 
a few days before commencing the war. 

But that very night, which was dark and rainy, the Indians 
fell upon the American camp. The soldiers had only just time 
to put out their watch-fires, when the enemy was upon them. 
Harrison, however, was a very good and brave officer; he drew 
out his men in a square, and when the Indians charged they 
were driven back with great loss. When morning came the 
American horse charged in turn, and the Indians fled, leaving 
many of their dead on the ground. Harrison then pushed on to 
the Prophet's village and utterly destroyed it. 

Tecumseh and his tribes thus became the friends of England 
and the enemies of the United States. 

War of 1812. 

ON the eighteenth of June, 181 2, Congress declared war 
against Great Britain. One of the most ardent advocates for 
the war was John C- Calhoun, one of the greatest statesmen 
America ever had. A young Kentuckian of great talent 
named Henry Clay was at this time leader of the Federalists, 
and opposed to the war. 

Some of the members wanted to declare war against France 
as well; and as Bonaparte and the French had done quite as 
much mischief as the English, I think it would have served them 
right. But Congress thought one nation was enough at a time 
and France was disregarded for the present. 



THE AMRRICAX X AT I ON. 189 

The population of the United States was at this time a Httle 
over seven milhons, including slaves. The nation was more than 
twice as strong as it was at the beginning of the war of the Revo- 
lution; it was richer, too, and better able to procure money and 
pay its soldiers. Though still weaker in point of men and wealth 
than Great Britain, it was quite strong enough to defend itself; 
and it had — what is better than millions of men and houses full 
of gold — the right on its side. 

All over the country the news that war had been declared 
spread like wildfire, and created intense excitement. Thousands 
of men offered to fight under the stars and stripes. No end of 
money was offered to the President by rich merchants and others. 
There was nothing heard in the large cities but shouts of joy at 
the intelligence that British insults were no longer to be borne, 
and that American ships were henceforth to be free. 

There were a few well-meaning but short-sighted persons in 
some places who opposed the war, and thought the President all 
wrong. There must always be such people in every free country. 
But there never was a truer word than that spoken by Thomas 
Jefferson: "Error ceases to be dangerous when truth is left free 
to combat it." 

Hull's Surrender of Detroit. • 

THE first thing thought of was the invasion of Canada. Orders 
were sent to General William Hull, of Michigan, to march 
into Canada forthwith. 

He collected his troops, regulars and militia, crossed the 
St. Clair River at Detroit, and raised the stars and stripes on 
Canadian soil. 

On his sice the British Governor issued a grand proclamation 
and made ready for defense. Tecumseh and his Indians were all 
on his side, and he had, besides, a large number of trained soldiers. 
With these he advanced to Maiden and waited for General Hull. 
After several days the news came to General Hull that the 
British and Indians had cut off his supplies which were coming 
from Ohio and beaten the men who guarded them. 



I90 STORfF,S FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Frightened by this intelHgence, he crossed the river again and 
took up his quarters at Detroit. 

Then the British commander, General Brock, a man of great 
energy and vigor, marched after him as fast as the troops could 
go. When opposite Detroit he planted his guns and began to 
batter the fort. General Hull giving no sign of life, Brock crossed 
the river and gave the word for the assault. The Americans were 
all ready for him. Their batteries were complete, their guns 
loaded, the men eager to get at the enemy. 

But at that moment a white flag was run up on the fort. 

The meaning of this was that General Hull surrendered to 
the English. Dreadful was the rage of his men; even the women, 
it is said, cried with fury at the thought of surrendering without 
firing a shot. But there was no help for it. Hull was the com- 
mander, and there was nothingv for the soldiers and the militia and 
the citizens to do but obey. 

The Constitution and the Guerriere. 

HAD it not been for the exploits of the navy, the people of 
the United States would have had great reason for being 
out of humor with the war that year. But the moment some 
of the captains received notice that war was declared they 
hoisted the signal for sailing, and dashed out into the ocean. 

The whole British squadron then put to sea, and cruised off 
New Yoirk. 

The squadron came up with the frigate Cojistitution, com- 
manded by Captain Hull, a nephew of General Hull, and gave 
chase. This little vessel, which afterward became so famous, 
carried fifty-four guns, and was manned by a very brave body of 
men. Fighting was out of the question; the Constitution made 
sail to escape. When the wind fell, her men launched the boats 
and towed the ship; when a breeze came, the Constitution crowded 
every stitch of canvas. In this way, sometimes rowing, and some- 
times sailing, the Constitution remained in sight of the British fleet 
for four days; and there was not a man on board who did not think 
she would be taken. But fortune favored her at last. A gale 




Indian Schools of To-day. 



191 



192 5 TORIES FROM AMERICA N HIS TOR V. 

springing up, the British vessels scattered, and the Constitution 
got safe into Boston. So wonderful an escape was thought quite as 
glorious as a victory. 

But the sailors had something better than escapes to talk of 
before long. 

The wise men at Washington had no sooner heard of the 
Constitution s arrival at Boston than they sent word to Hull to stay 
there, probably in order to keep his ship warm and comfortable. 
Captain Hull had no notion of any thing of the kind. Just before 
the orders arrived, he got a hint of what they might be, and was 
off to sea in a trice. 

After cruising about for a few days, he fell in with one of 
the British frigates, the Gncrriere, that had chased him, and made 
sail at once in pursuit. It was quite willing to fight, and waited 
for the Constitution to come up. When the two ships were within 
range the battle began. After several broadsides, Hull ran the 
Constitution into the Gticrricre, in order to board. A fierce fire 
of musketry prevented this; but the masts of the British ship went 
overboard, and a few minutes after she lowered her colors. 

This was a real victory. Never was battle more awful! Both 
ships seemed wrapped in flame; and when the smoke had cleared 
away, there lay the Guerriere, her masts broken, her sides pierced 
with balls — a useless boat, already sinking into the sea. 

The Wasp and the Frolic. 

THE little ship Wasp, which had been away from home when 
war was declared, fell in, on her return, with the Frolic, a 
British brig of war. The fight was long and bloody. A shot at 
last cutting away one of the Wasfs topmasts, her commander, 
Jones, ran her into the Frolic, and the men jumped on board 
through the rigging. So fierce had been the battle that not a man 
was found on the Frolic s deck. Everything was covered with blood 
and mangled remains. 

Lieutenant Riddle hauled down the Union Jack of England, 
and the Frolic was a prize. 

The two vessels were about to make sail when a British 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 193 

seventy-four, the Poictiers, came up with them, and, Hke a whale 
with a couple of herrings, snapped them both up and carried them 
oft to the Bermudas. 

Captain Bain bridge. 

THE last naval exploit of the year was performed by the old 
Constitution, now commanded by Captain Bainbridge. He 
fell in with the British frigate Java, off St. Salvador, and 
both ships prepared for battle. It lasted two hours, and was 
very bloody, the English losing nearly two hundred, the Americans 
nearly forty men. Bainbridge was twice wounded, but he would 
not go below, or give up the command of his ship. At last, the 
Java, being dreadfully cut up, struck her flag, and Bainbridge, 
after vainly trying to refit her, blew her up where she lay. 

In this battle the wheel of the ConstittUion was shot away by 
a shot from the Java. Many years afterward, when both nations 
were at peace, a British naval officer visited the Constitution. In 
reply to a question from her captain, he said she was the finest 
frigate he had ever seen; but if he must find some fault, he thought 
her wheel was rather clumsy. 

"So do we," said the American with a laugh; "the fact is, 
we lost our wheel in the battle with the Java, and took hers in- 
stead; and though it is clumsy, we keep it as a trophy." 

This is the last you will hear of that gallant sailor, William 
Bainbridge. Though he did not die till many years ^fter, and 
was constantly afloat, this was his last battle. 

Notwithstanding all, it now showed that the American nation 
had proved itself as brave on sea as on land; and the great English 
navy was forced to acknowledge a rival. 

The Hornet and the Peacock. 

THE war went on as usual at sea. Captain Lawrence, in his 
little vessel, the Hornet, found a British ship in the Port of Sal- 
vador, and sent the Captain a challenge to come out and fight 
him. The Englishman declined, but soon came another British 
vessel, the Peacock, strutting along feeling vain and full of success. 



194 STOR/ES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

She accepted a challenge to fight. The battle lasted just a 
quarter of an hour; at the end of which time the Peacock made a 
signal of distress. She was sinking; and though every one of the 
Hornefs boats were sent to her relief, she went down with sev- 
eral of her men on board. 

When Lawrence returned to the United States he was made 
captain of a larger ship, the Chesapeake, in which he sailed from 
Boston on the first of June. A British man-of-war —the Shannon, — 
had been cruising off the coast for some time, waiting for some- 
Mi DS H/ PA^r> body to fight. Lawrence 'was so straight- 
1^ j^ ^N forward a man that his sailors used to say 
there was "no more dodge about him than 
about the main-mast." He dashed at the 
Shannon. For a few minutes both ships 
were wrapped in smoke and flame. But 
„N the Chesapeake becoming entangled in some 
ll way the latter got a great advantage, and 
11 poured tremendous volleys into her. sweeping 
the decks and killing almost all her officers. 
Lawrence, seeing the danger, gave the 
word to board! But, unhappily, the man 
whose duty it was to sound the bugle, was a wretched negro, who 
had run away to hide himself through fear. Before the crew re- 
ceived the order, the captain of the Shannon had ordered his 
men to board, and they came pouring like a torrent into the Chesa- 
peake. In less time than you take to read this, they were masters 
of the deck — the United States flag was torn down, and the 
Chesapeake was a British prize. 

It was a dreadful blow to the people of this country, though 
the battle had been well and gloriously fought; but a greater blow 
still was the loss of the gallant Lawrence, who was shot in the 
action. They carried him below when he was struck, and asked 
him whether they should surrender. 

"No, no," he answered, over and over again; "don't strike 
the flag!" 

Four days afterward, when he was dying, his lips still re- 
peated the words, 




THE AMERICAN NATION. 195 

"Don't give up the ship!" 

He never knew that she was a prize, and that he was dying 
under the British flag. The Enghsh buried him at Hahfax with 
great honors; but his bones were afterward removed to this coun- 
try by a patriotic citizen of Salem. 

Whenever you hear the immortal words "Don't give up the 
ship," just think of Lawrence, the brave man who died to save 
his country. 

Brave Oliver H. Perry. 

FOR many months there had been a race between the Amer- 
icans and the English on the lakes. There was as yet no 
fighting, but the race was in the building of ships and boats, 

so as to command these inland waters. 

At first, the English had the advantage. The American 
builders were slower and less expert. Sometimes, before their 
craft were finished, the English would descend upon them like 
birds of prey, drive the workmen from the yards, and burn the 
half-finished vessels. 

Luckily the wise men of Washington sent to the lakes a 
young man named Oliver -H. Perry, very little known at that 
time, though a sailor almost from his cradle. He began work on 
Lake Erie, to build an inland navy. So vigorously did he go 
about it, that before the autumn of the year 18 13 he had quite 
a squadron ready for service. 

The British naval commander knew all that was going on. 
One day in September he dined with a large party of English- 
men at a place called Dover, in Canada, and his health was 
drunk with great noise ^nd many fine compliments. He rose to 
reply, and said quietly that he was going next day to take the 
American fleet, under Perry, which was about to sail from Erie. 
He knew where to find them, he said; they would be stuck fast 
on the bar of Erie, a bank outside that port. 

When the next day came, however, this gallant Englishman 
found himself quite mistaken; the American vessels were not stuck 
on the bar, but were free and at large on the lake, on the look- 
out for the British squadron. 



196 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HIS TORY. 

On the tenth of September their preparations were made, and 
out they came. The moment Perry saw them he ordered his 
ships to prepare for action, and sailed to meet the enemy. He 
hoisted, as a signal, Lawrence's last words — "Don't give up the 
ship." 

The whole British fleet assailed her. For nearly two hours 
every British shot was aimed at this one vessel, and, as you may 
easily imagine, at the end of the time she was pretty well riddled and 
quite unmanageable. It was a trying moment. The shot came 
tearing into her as she drifted about. It is said that the poor 
fellows who were shot down at the guns all died with their faces 
turned up and their eyes fixed on Perry; so great was their faith 
and trust in him. 

He determined to deserve it. Jumping into a boat with his 
little brother, a midshipman, he ordered the sailors to row for 
their lives to the Niagara, the second vessel of his squadron. It 
was dangerous work for a small boat, which a single shot might 
have sunk, thus to pick her way through the fight from one ship 
to another. But Perry was a lucky man. He reached the Niag- 
ara in safety, and made the signal for action. 

It was obeyed. The other American ships sailed up, and bore 
down on the British line, cutting it in two. As they passed, each 
vessel poured in its broadside with such effect that one by one 
all the Englishmen hauled down their flags and were forced to 
surrender. 

Thus the battle was won. It was a glorious exploit. The 
British had long held the command of the lakes. They had more 
guns than Perry, though fewer vessels. It is but fair to say that 
their guns were not so heavy as those of the Americans, but their 
men were more numerous. 

The brave Perry himself was ill at the time the battle was 
fought. He had been attacked by fever some time before, and 
was hardly fit to leave his bed. The sight of the enemy cured 
him, however, and after the battle he sat down and wrote the 
following account of it to General Harrison: 

"We have met the enemy and they are ours; two ships, two 
brigs, one schooner, and one sloop." 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 197 

He was not, you see; a man of many words, but a man of 
action. 

Massacre of Fort Mimms. 

WHILE these things were being done in the North, the 
South and West were in great commotion. I have told 
you how Tecumseh and his brother the Prophet had stirred 
the Indians far and wide against the American people. 
Those of the North joined the British troops, as you know. Those 
of the South began a war on their own account. They were chiefly 
Creeks and Seminoles, old enemies of the white men, and very 
fierce, cruel and bloodthirsty races. 

They began, as usual, by murdering stray white men, burning 
solitary houses, and such acts. But gaining courage as they went 
on, and growing more ravenous for blood and plunder, they soon 
perpetrated more terrible deeds. 

One day in August a negro ran hastily into this fort, and said 
that the Indians intended to attack it. It was so strong, and the 
Indian chiefs had of late seemed so friendly, that the white men 
did not believe him. 

Even when the trusty watchdogs, trained to Indian warfare, 
began to bay and- bark in a low, growling manner, as was their 
wont when they detected the Indians afar off by the scent, their 
masters would not trust them, and paid no heed to the warning. 

So unspeakably careless was the commander, that the Indians 
walked up to the fort at mid-day, and rushed in at the gate before 
the sentinel could close it. Then the whites began to fight. But 
it was too late. The Indians were led by a fierce chief named 
Weathersford, who fought like a demon, shooting and stabbing 
everyone opposed to him. His men followed his example, and 
in a very short space of time all the men were killed but some 
twenty or so who fled across the fields. 

The women and children were left in the fort. It was set on 
fire, and nearly all of them perished in the flames. The few who 
forced their way out were brutally murdered. It would be im- 
possible to describe the horrible scene presented by the fort when 
the Indians left it. 



198 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Andrew Jackson. 

TERRIBLE was the cry which arose from the people of Ten- 
nessee and Kentucky, and the Carohnas and Georgia, when 
the news of the massacre of Fort Mimms reached them. 
There was no talk of sending to Washington for help. They 
were men who helped themselves always. A great meeting was 
held at Nashville, and with one voice the people chose for their 
general, to lead them against the Indians, one of their bravest 
citizens — Andrew Jackson. 

Over three thousand men flocked round his banner, and he 
took the field at once, and marched into the Indian country. 

The Creeks were very brave. They would not retreat an inch, 
and neither gave nor received quarter. In four successive battles 
Jackson and his officers routed them completely, destroying their 
villages and forts, and carrying off their women and children into 
captivity. Jackson, like Perry on Lake Erie, had risen from a sick 
bed to lead his troops; once on his horse, he seemed to have lost 
all thought of fatigue, illness, hunger, or sleep. No matter where 
the Creeks were, he ferreted them out; no matter how bravely they 
fought, he defeated them. • 

At last, after the fourth battle, the might of the tribe was 
broken. The warriors who remained sued for peace. Jackson de- 
manded that Weathersford, who had led the attack on Fort 
Mimms, should be given up to be tried for the massacre, and 
punished. 

The men of Tennessee and the Carolinas had tried hard to 
take Weathersford. But he was so active, so watchful, and so 
lucky, that he had always baffled their efforts. Even now, in the 
day of their ruin, the Creeks could hardly be brought to give up 
their bold chieftain; so much had they loved him, and so often 
had he led them. 

While they were thinking of it, Weathersford suddenly ap- 
peared at the door of Jackson's tent, stepped in, and stood 
before him. 

"General," said the Indian, "I have fought you with all my 
might, and done all the harm I could. But you have conquered. 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 199 

I have no warriors now. I am now in your power. Do with me 
what you please. I, too, am a warrior." 

Jackson Hstened to this bold speech from the savage chief 
with perfect coolness. When it was ended, the General made up 
•his mind that Weathersford's life must be spared. It was not 
easy to convince the men that this was right; they could not 
quickly forgive the massacre of Fort Mimms; but Jackson had a 
terrible will of his own, and Weathersford was pardoned. 

"Old Hickory'* and the Baby. 

THERE is another story of this Creek war which I must tell 
you; it is so pleasant to find a ray of gentleness and human- 
ity in the heart of so stern a warrior as Old Hickory. At 

the last battle, many of the Indian women had rushed to the 
attack with the men; some were made prisoners, some killed. 
One of the latter had a new born baby with her; when its mother 
fell, the infant rolled to the ground, and cried piteously. When 
the battle was over, the baby was brought to Jackson, who asked 
whether someone among the squaw prisoners would not nurse it. 
You know the Indians are a very sullen race, inhuman in some 
things. 

The squaws answered, 

"No; its mother is dead: let it die, too." 

But Old Hickory's will was as strong in the matter of a child's 
liie as when the safety of nation was concerned. He took the 
baby in his arms,' carried it to his tent, and finding some sugar 
in his baggage, the old chief actually fed the little crying thing 
himself. And so its life was saved 



Battle of Niagara. 

N 1 8 14, long before the snow had begun to melt, the soldiers 
were astir in the North. Old Jacob Brown had been ap- 
pointed a major-general. As soon as the army had been 
drilled, and taught to fight in an orderly, soldierlike manner, 
he gave orders to cross the river Niagara to Fort Erie. Several 



I 



200 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



of his officers were much opposed to invading Canada again; but 
Brown swore that nothing but thunder and Hghtning should pre- 
vent his carrying out his plan. 

Over he crossed on the third of July. Next morning, as soon 
as day broke, the fighting began. 

It lasted all day. The roar of the cannon and the musketry 
mingled with the roar of Niagara; it was not till the sun went down 
that the voice of the cataract seem to grow louder and louder, and 
the thunder of the battle waved fainter and fainter. The British 




Niagrara Falls. 

were defeated. They had chosen their own ground, counted more 
men than the Americans, fought under good generals; but they 
were defeated, and lost twice as many men as their enemy. 

The British fell back; and for several days the two armies 
marched and countermarched near the falls and the river, each 
watching for an opportunity to begin the fight anew. 

On the evening of the twenty-fifth, as General Scott was 
marching with his brigade to Queenstown, he fell quite unexpect- 
edly on the whole British army. But Winfield Scott, then in the 



THE AMERICAN NA TION. 201 

youth of his valor and spirit, gave the word of attack at once, and 
the battle of Niagara began. 

The sun had gone down, and the moon was hidden from 
time to time by passing clouds; but neither in light nor darkness, 
by day nor by night, did the firing, and the charging, and the 
killing ever cease. 

On a height, near a lane called Lundy's Lane, the British 
had planted a battery of heavy guns, which poured a hail of shot 
and grape into the ranks of the Americans. The gunners stood 
ready at their guns with matches lighted, until a flash in the plain 
below showed them where the Americans were; then they fired, and 
every volley laid low many brave fellows. 

General Ripley, a cool cautious soldier, who was never excited 
in his life, rode up to Colonel Miller and asked him if he thought 
he could take that battery? 

"I'll try, sir," was the answer. 

And he did try, and took it, too, at the point of the bayonet, 
many of the gunners being killed in the very act of loading and 
pointing their guns. 

When the British general heard that the battery had been 
taken, he ordered more troops to charge it and retake it from the 
American^. But Brown had also brought up more men to defend it, 
and when the British charged they were driven back with gre^tt loss. 

At the foot of the height they formed a second time, and 
charged again more furiously than before. But again the British 
were repulsed. 

A third time they formed but again the Americans held their 
ground, and, for the last time, the English retreated. 

It was past midnight, and the enemy fell back for the night. 
The battlefield was once more silent; nothing was heard but 
the gloomy roar of the falls, and the groans of the wounded, 
many and many of whom never saw the morning light. Sixteen 
hundred brave men had been killed or wounded in the fio^ht 

The British claimed the victory, and so did the Americans. 
But the former lost their position and more men than their en- 
emies; so that it appears the Americans had the best ground for 
their claim. 




202 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

It was this battle which made Winfield Scott a hero. He 
began it by attacking the British with a vastly inferior force; and 
his valor was one of the chief causes of the victory. "Those who 

saw him say that nothing could be 
grander or more heroic than his head- 
long charges at the head of his men, 
his tall figure soaring above all others 
like a giant among pygmies, and his face 
lit up with the fire of battle. 

The American army quartered it- 
self in Fort Erie, and the British besieged 
r^ it there. One of the British officers, 
f; and a namesake of the commander's. 
Colonel Drummond, was a ferocious fel- 
Generai Scott. \o\\ , morc like a pirate than a soldier. 

On the night appointed the British came on, in total dark- 
ness, and the assault began. The English approached quite close 
to the fort, planted their ladders and even took one bastion; but the 
Americans fought so stoutly, knocking down every man as fast 
as he showed himself, that the attack failed. 

Drummond, the leader, was killed. He had fought single- 
handed with a young American officer, named M'Donough, and 
overcome him. M'Donough begged his life; but Drummond, like 
a brutal murderer as he was, struck him dead with a blow. 

He turned round to his men and began to cry, "No quart — " 
But at that instant a soldier shot him dead and he never 
finished the wicked sentence. 

After this General Brown got well enough to return to the 
fort. He planned a sortie on the British which fairly crushed their 
army. It was arranged and done just in his old way. When he 
asked his officers their opinion about it beforehand they all said 
it would be too perilous; but Brown took one of his friends aside 
and, telling him quietly to "keep dark," assured him that "as 
sure as there was a God in Heaven, he would attack the enemy 
in his lines and beat him." 

And so he did. And so thoroughly were the British beaten, 
losing all their heavy guns and one thousand men, that the general 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 203 

gave the siege up and marched away — which was the end of the 
war on the peninsula between the lakes. 

Our Capital City Burned. 

THE eyes of the people were all turned now to a different 
point. The wars in. Europe were ended, and the great lords 
had no work for their multitude of soldiers except on the 
American coasts. There was in England at this time a 
great general, the Duke of Wellington. He had just defeated the 
wonderful Napoleon Bonaparte in the great battle of Waterloo. 
Napoleon had been looked upon as a wonderful being, never to 
be overcome by any army living, so you can imagine with what awe 
Wellington and his army were now looked upon all over the world. 
Powerful squadrons, carrying large armies, were sent out to America. 
The troops were told, it would seem, to cease, on arrival here, 
to be soldiers, and to become pirates. The most savage of these 
pirates was Admiral Cockburn. 

This Cockburn had long been tired of plundering farmhouses 
and villages a,nd insulting women; he longed for greater game. 
After cruising some time on the coast he suddenly dashed into 
the Chesapeake, sailed up the Potomac and landed near Wash- 
ington. 

There were less than five thousand men in all; but before 
they had reached the city report said there were six, then seven, 
even eight thousand of them. Gen. Winder hastily got together 
a force of seven thousand men and took their station outside the 
city, and awaited the approach of this dreaded foe. 

Three days later the English marched up, tired and hot, 
ready to drop from fatigue. Oh, if the Americans could only have 
known this, if they could have known, too, that their own number 
was nearly twice that of the advancing foe! 

Then the battle began, and after a few hours' work the militia 
broke and scattered, and the British drove them back on every 
side. 

A feeble attempt was made by one or two of the officers to 
rally the fiying troops, but it was impossible. Soldiers never fight 



204 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



well unless they have confidence in their leader; here they had 
none. Nobody seemed willing to do anything but fly; and the 
whole population, with the President, the Secretaries, and the 
remains of the militia, left Washington to its fate. 

On came the British. There was no one to resist them; they 
took possession of the Capitol and began to burn and destroy. 




The Capitol, Washington. 

They set fire to the President's house, to the State Departments, 
to the Capitol, to the Arsenal, to newspaper offices and private 
houses. Splendid buildings, rich libraries, noble works of art, 
valuable records were all burnt. 

Cockburn, their leader, saw it done, and rejoiced over it, just 
as Nero is said to have done when another great capital — Rome — 
was burning. 

All next day the work of devastation went on. 

There is no saying where these bandits and pirates might 
have stopped, but for an accident which appalled them. A furious 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 205 

hurricane raged with such fury that roofs were blown off houses, 
chimneys fell in every direction, trees were torn up by the roots 
and dashed into the air. Nothing was heard but the crashing "of 
falling timbers, and the sky was darkened by the clouds of dust 
driven hither and thither by the tornado. 

I dare say the British soldiers were smitten with terror at the 
sight of the awful effects of the hurricane, and a report spreading 
that the Americans were about to pounce upon them, they marched 
off by night to their ships, leaving their wounded to the mercy of 
the Americans. 

Cockburn had succeded so well in his foray at Washington 
that he was impatient to repeat the operation. A few days after 
the troops had re-embarked, he sailed up the bay a second time, 
and landed his men to attack Baltimore. 

The moment the enemy landed, a body of militia marched 
down and gave him battle. They were beaten; but the victory 
cost the British more men than they could spare. 

Star Spangled Banner. 

THERE was an American gentleman on board the British 
fleet that day, named Francis S. Key. He had gone on 
board to beg that a prisoner whom he knew might 'be ex- 
changed, and was carried off when the ships set sail. He 
was on the deck when the ships opened fire, and heard the British 
officers and sailors boasting of what they would do when they had 
"hauled that flag down" — meaning the stars and stripes which 
floated over the forts. It was in the excitement of that moment 
that he composed that stirring song which you have heard so 
often — the "Star Spangled Banner." 







The Star Spangled Banner. 

H! say can you see by the dawn's early light. 

What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming! 
Whose broad Stripes and bright Stars thro' the perilous fight, 

O'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming? 
And the rocket's red glare, the shells bursting in air! 



2o6 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Gave proof thro' the night that our Flag still was there; 
Oh! say does the Star Spangled Banner yet wave, 
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave! 

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep, 
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, 

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, 
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? 

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam. 

In full glory reflected, now shines in the stream: 

And the Star Spangled Banner oh! long may it wave. 
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave! 

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore 

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion 
A home and a country shall leave us no more! 

Their blood has wash'dout their foul footsteps' pollution! 
No refuge could save the hireling and slave 
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave; 

And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph doth wave. 

O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave! 

Battle of Lake Cham plain. 

ON the very day that pirate Cockburn came to plunder Bal- 
timore, the British suffered one of the most terrible defeats 
in the war. It was on Lake Champlain. There, as on the 
other lakes, had been a great race between the Americans 
and the enemy in shipbuilding; and at first the British had the 
upper hand, always contriving to launch their vessels before the 
Americans had time, and so keep the command of the lake. But 
at last the Americans succeeded in getting a little squadron to sea, 
and prepared to fight one great battle for victory. 

At the very same time the British general in Canada, Prevost, 
invaded the United States, from Montreal, with an excellent army, 
twelve thousand strong. He marched as far as Plattsburg, when 
the American army, chiefly composed of militia, met him, and 
made ready for battle. The fleet was in the bay, commanded by 
a young sailor, Captain M'Donough, and the British fleet, under 
Captain Downie, sailed down to attack it at the same time. 

On the morning of the day of battle, it being Sunday, 



THE AMERICAN NATION. 207 

M'Donough solemnly read the prayers of the Episcopal Church, 
and prepared for the fight. Shortly after daybreak the British 
fleet was seen sailing down in order of battle. Almost at the 
same moment a cock flew out of one of the hencoops on board 
M'Donough's vessel, the Saratoga, and, lighting on a gun-slide, set 
up a tremendous crowing. You know that sailors are usually 
superstitious; they all declared that this was an omen of victory, 
and gave three hearty cheers. 

As the British ships approached, the battle began. The Eng- 
lish ships were more numerous and carried more guns than the 
American, and in a very short time the Saratoga was almost 
knocked to pieces. The storm of grape and shot was so terrible 
that every man on board was either killed or wounded. 

They say that while the sailors were falling on every side a 
shot struck the hencoop and knocked it to pieces; and that the 
same cock which had crowed before the battle flew up into the 
rigging, and began to crow again in the midst of the balls — 
which you may believe, if you like. Whether or no, M'Donough 
did not lose courage, and contriving to wear round his ship by 
the help of an anchor, he poured so terrible a broadside into the 
largest of the British vessels that she struck her flag. A few more 
broadsides, and all the others followed the example, so that by 
ten o'clock there was not a British flag floating on the lake. 

The End of the War. 

THERE were many battles upon the land and sea in the war 
of 1812 which we have not here recorded; but as battles 
are always the same old story of murder and bloodshed, no 
matter how just or how unjust the cause, I think you will 
be glad to pass over the unimportant ones and skip with me 
to times of peace. 

The war ended with the Battle of New Orleans. The British 
fleet sailed along the coast and landed an army to attack New 
Orleans. Jackson, who was the general, had but few men in 
comparison with their numbers: the British was tried soldiers, who 
had fought all over Europe; Jackson's men were mostly militia. 



208 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Worse than all, there were at New Orleans, and in the neighbor- 
hood, numbers of vagabonds of every nation under the sun, who 
did not care a straw for the United States, and were quite ready 
to welcome the British invaders. 

Jackson quietly took the supreme authority into his own hands, 
proclaimed martial law, put sentinels over the Legislature, and 
ordered every man to turn out and fight under penalty of being 
shot. People very soon saw that he was not to be trifled with, 
and the works of defense went on with wonderful vigor. 

On the eighth of January the British advanced to the attack. 
Jackson had posted his men skillfully behind entrenchments partly 
built with cotton-bales. They were mostly Tennesseeans and Ken- 
tuckians, dead shots with their rifles. As the British advanced, 
each man took good aim and brought down a soldier. Behind 
each rifleman Jackson had stationed a man to load while the 
former fired: by this means the volleys were incessant, and the 
slaughter of the British tremendous. 

After a short struggle the British general ordered a retreat. 
He had lost two thousand men; Jackson only seventy-one. The 
British moved sullenly back to their ships, embarked, and sailed 
away. New Orleans was safe. 

While these things were going on, a ship sailed into the port 
of New York with news that peace had been made. The ship 
arrived at night, but the news spread like wildfire; people rushed 
out of their houses to hear it, and the whole city was in a blaze 
of excitement. Messengers were sent all over the country in hot 
haste, to say that the war was over, and that trade was once 
more going to revive. 

The treaty of peace had been signed at Ghent, Belgium, on 
Christmas eve, in the year 1814. It said nothing whatever about 
the rights of American ships or sailors, but simply declared that 
both nations should stand in the position they held before the 
war. 



PART V. 

The Good Times Era. 



Monroe's Administration. 



iT.y^ 




^HE fifth President of the United States was James 
^"^ Monroe, he was a soldier in the Revolution, and be- 
longed to the Republican party. When young he 
developed a. very noble character, frank, manly, sin- 
cere. Abounding with kindliness of feeling, and scorn- 
ing everything ignoble, he won the love of all who 
knew him. Mr. Jefferson once said of him, — 
"James Monroe is so perfectly honest, that if his soul were 
turned inside out there would not be found a spot on it." 

He chose very wise men for his cabinet. They went to work 
industriously to get government matters out of the confusion in 
which the war had left them. 

During the war the Americans made cloth and many other 
things, which before they bought in Eng- 
land and France. They spent a great deal 
of money for machinery to do it with, so 
when the French and English goods came 
in abundance after the war, these manu- 
factures were much injured, and thousands 
of people had nothing to do. 

Like many other things, this, that 
seemed an evil, was a good. Thousands 
who were compelled to be idle went be- 
yond the mountains into the fertile West, 
cultivated the soil, and became healthier, 
209 




i8i7-i8a5. 



2IO STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

happier, and wealthier than they could have been had they re- 
mained in the East. 

During Mr. Monroe's administration, the territories of Mississ- 
ippi, Illinois, Alabama and Missouri were admitted into the Union 
as states. Settlements also increased very rapidly all over the 
West. General prosperity was everywhere visible, and everybody 
hoped for long years of repose. 

Because of the quiet, peaceful times, during which Monroe 
was president, the years of his administration have been called 
the "era of good feeling." How I wish I could tell you that this 
"era of good feeling" lasted a long time; but alas! God's ways 
are not ours! He saw we would not be a free people until all 
men, both black and white, were free and had equal rights. 

For many years, and in fact ever since the Dutch traders had 
stolen and brought over black men from Africa, and sold them 
like cattle to become slaves to the American people, had this 
evil been going on. 

There now began to be a strong feeling that this was wrong, 
and that something ought to be done to put a stop to it. Even 
before the Constitution was adopted the Northern and Southern 
men had quarreled about slavery; the one saying that slavery was 
inhuman and should be abolished, the others that it was no such 
thing, and that the negroes were far better off as slaves than they 
would be if free. For thirty years the quarrel had slept, but now 
when the State of Missouri applied for admission to the Union 
with a slavery Constitution, there were not a few who foresaw the 
evils impending. 

After the debate of a week it was decided that Missouri could 
not be admitted into the Union with slavery. The question was 
at length settled by a compromise, proposed by Henry Clay. Mis- 
souri was admitted with slavery, but slavery was prohibited over 
all the territory ceded by France, north of thirty-six degrees thirty 
minutes north latitude, which is commonly known as the "Mason 
and Dixon line." 

The famous "Monroe Doctrine, "of which so much has recently 
been said, originated in this way: In the year 1823 it was rumored 
that the Holy Alliance was about to interfere to prevent the estab- 



THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 211 

lishment of republican liberty in the European colonies in South 
America. 

A few weeks after this President Monroe sent a message to 
Congress, declaring it to be the policy of this Government not to 
entangle ourselves with the broils of Europe, and not to allow 
Europe to interfere with the affairs of nations on the American 
continents; and the doctrine was announced, that any attempt on 
the part of the European powers ' ' to extend their system to any 
portion of this heniisphere would be regarded by the United States 
as dangerous to our peace and safety." 

An Old Hero Visits America. 

IN the last year of Mr. Monroe's presidency a gr6at man came 
to this country. This was General La Fayette, the glorious old 
hero, whose cheek was now wrinkled, and whose hair was 
gray. The boys who were at school when he left this country, 
were old men, almost as gray as himself; very few, indeed, were 
born when his blood was shed for American freedom. 

He was welcomed everywhere with joy and honored as no 
man ever was before or since by a free people. Congress gave 
him a township of land and a couple of hundred thousand dollars, 
as a trifling token of the nation's gratitude. If they had made it 
a dozen townships and a million of dollars it would still have been 
too little to repay the man who had said, when Congress sent him 
word that he had better not come to fight for them, as they were 
too poor to pay his expenses hither. 

" If that is the case, I will go at once and take money with me." 
He arrived in the summer of 1824, staid until the next year, 
and traveled more than five thousand miles among us. A national 
vessel, named from a certain battle in the Revolution in which 
La Fayette had been wounded, called Brandywine, was then sent to 
convey him home. 

In the autumn the people of the United States chose a new 
magistrate. John Quincy Adams was elected President, and John 
C. Calhoun of South Carolina, Vice-President. 



212 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Henry Clay. 

ONE of the great men of President Monroe's time was Henry 
Clay. He earned imperishable fame by his conduct at the 
time the Missouri Compromise was passed. Whether it was 
a mistake or not, his motives were pure, his purpose noble. 
He saw discord spreading throughout the country and the men of 
one State ready to take up arms against the men of another. 

He heard the fierce disputes, 
the bitter taunts, the galling 
reproaches that each faction 
heaped upon the other. He 
knew that this nation had 
but. one real peril to fear, and 
that was internal dissensions 
and strife. He felt that if the 
quarrel went on much longer 
this peril would approach with 
giant strides, and he regis- 
tered a vow that it must be 
stopped. His voice it was, 
his eloquent voice, which 
calmed the stormy debate in 
Congress; he threw himself 
between the angry North and 
South, and implored them — 
not to establish or to forbid 
slavery; not to make this or that law for Missouri or the new 
territory — these were trifles — but simply to save the Union. 

You know how well he succeeded, and how thirty years of 
peace followed his gallant act. He is gone, and you do not often 
hear his name mentioned now in conversation or read of him in 
the newspapers. But in history and in every American heart he 
still lives; and years and years and ages after you are gone, and 
your children after you, the world will be proud to do him honor, 
and to celebrate the fame of him who saved this Union in the 
year 1820. 




^W' r/ ^^' 



Henry Clay. 



THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 
The Administration of John Quincy Adams. 



213 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, the sixth President of the United 
States, was the son of old John Adams, our second President. 
When he received a note from Rufus King, informing him of 
his election, he inclosed it to his father, who was now ninety 
years of age, with the following lines from his own pen: 

My Dear and Honored Father. — The inclosed note from Mr. King will 
inform you of the event of this day; upon which I can only offer jw<^ my con- 
gratulations, and ask your blessing and prayers. 

Your affectionate and dutiful son, 

John Quincy Adams. 

At that time the United States was at peace with all the world 
and everything appeared bright and prosperous. 

A remarkable occurrence took place in 
the summer of 1826. On the 4th of July, 
just fifty years after the Declaration of 
Independence was adopted, Thomas Jef- 
ferson and John Adams died. They were 
both on the committee that drew up the 
Declaration, both had been foreign min- 
isters, and both had been Vice-Presidents, 
and then Presidents of the United States. 
At the time of their death, Mr. Adams 
was almost ninety years old, and Mr. 
Jefferson almost eighty-three. 
Nothing of great importance took place during Adams' ad- 
ministration. At the end of his term of office he returned to his 
home but was not long permitted to remain in retirement. In 
November, 1830, he was elected representative to Congress. He 
thus recognized the Roman principle, that it is honorable for the 
general of yesterday to act as corporal to-day, if by so doing he 
can render service to his country. 

For seventeen years, until his death, he occupied the post of 
representative, and it is said of him he was the most eloquent 
man living,, and won the title of "the old man eloquent." 

It has been said that, when his body was bent and his hair 




John Quincy Adams— 1767=1848. 
One Term, 1825=1829. 



214 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



silvered by the lapse of years, yielding to the simple faith of a 
child, he was accustomed to repeat every night, before he slept, 
the prayer which his mother taught him. 

In February, 1848, he rose on the floor of Congress, to address 
the Speaker. Suddenly he fell, stricken by paralysis, and was 
caught in the arms of those around him. With reviving conscious- 
ness he opened his eyes, and said, ' ' This is the end of earth/' 
"/ am content." 

The First Train of Cars. 

IT seems fitting just at this time to step aside for a moment 
from the political thoughts of our American people and look 
at our first train of cars. 

Not until Adams' administration did this country ever see 
a railroad. There had been horseback riding, carriage, steam- 
boat and sailing, but no railroad. The first railroad built in the 




First Locomotive. 



United States was only two miles long, extending from a granite 
quarry at Quincy, Mass., to Milton. Even then these cars had 
no locomotives, but were drawn by horses. Two years later, how- 
ever, an engine was brought into use, and from that day to this 
improvements have been steadily going on until to-day America 



THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 



215 



stands at the head of all nations in the world for speed, comfort 
and elegance of her railroads. 

The increase of the miles of railway in this country since the 
inauguration of this first railway is commensurate with the growth 
of the country. To-day we have more miles of railway than all 
Europe together, or perhaps than all the rest of the world. We 
have about eight times as many miles as France; more than four 
times as many as Great Britain, eight times as many as Russia, 
nearly twelve times as many as Germany, and about twenty times 
as many as Austria. The amount of capital invested is over five 
billions of dollars and the total receipts something over seven 
hundred millions of dollars. 



W 



Andrew Jackson. 

ITH the masses of the people Andrew Jackson was by 
far the most popular Presidenjt, with possibly the excep- 
tion of Washington, who had at this time occupied the 
Presidential chair. Nothing which concerns him can 
be tedious. He was an honest man with a strong mind. He 
would always do what he thought was right without caring a fig 

what people might say. When thirteen 
years old he became a soldier in the 'Revo- 
lutionary army. His father was dead. 

One of the bands of British soldiers 
who used to scour the countrv like hi^h- 

■J o 

way robbers came upon Mrs. Jackson's 

house one day and made her two sons 

prisoners. The British officer commanding 

was a Major Coffin. He ordered the two 

Jacksons to clean his boots. Andrew said 

he would not — that he was a prisoner of 

Andrew jackson-1767-1845. war, and would submit to no such insult. 

Robert Jackson also said he would not clean Coffin's boots. On 

which this savage wretch smote him with his sword so fiercely that 

he died of the wound shortly afterward. 

Little Andrew Jackson remained a long time a prisoner in 




2i6 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

the hands of the British, suffering great hardship. When the war 
was over he looked for his mother. She in the meantime had 
been attacked by fever, had died, and was buried where her grave 
could never afterward be found. A small bundle of the clothing 
which she wore was the only memorial of his mother which was 
returned to her orphan boy. Thus Andrew Jackson, when four- 
teen years of age, was left alone in the world, without father, 
mother, sister or brother, and without one dollar which he could 
call his own. He then went to Tennessee and settled at Nash- 
ville, where he began to practice law. Tennessee was at that time 
a very wild sort of place, where fighting was quite common and 
quiet people led a pretty hard life. 

Jackson rose from one position of trust to another until he 
became President of the United States. 

Nowadays it is quite usual for each new President to turn 
out many of the public officers, from the Secretary of State to 
the servants at the White House, in order to make room for his 
own friends. General Jackson was the first President who adopted 
this plan. It made a great noise at the time, and many sensible 
persons thought Jackson was all wrong. 

He didn't in the least mind the clamor that arose when he 
dismissed postmasters and clerks. He said he had his ideas about 
the way the President should do his duty, and he intended to carry 
them out. If the people didn't like it, why they need not elect 
him again. 

The great men at Washington, who had' for a long time had 
their own way, were taken back by this ofl-hand manner of deal- 
ing. Congress mixed in it, and several of the members let General 
Jackson know that he had far better take their advice, but they 
might as well have talked to a stone wall as to Old Hickory. 

He knew what he had to do; when he wanted their advice 
he would ask it. 

After a time, his cabinet got on so badly together that he 
made up his mind to get rid of the whole of them. So he inquired 
had they not better resign, which they did. 

Jackson often had opportunity before his term was over to 
display the force of his iron will in a way that will cause him to 



THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 217 

be forever remembered. First, he made an attack upon the money 
system of the country. He so upset the whole plan that hundreds 
of wealthy bondholders failed in their business. In 1833 he made 
war upon the United States Bank. Almost ten millions of dollars 
belonging to the United States were in that bank, and the use of 
this money was profitable. Jackson, declared that the money was 
not safe there, and he ordered it all to be taken from the bank 
and put into various State banks. This removal of deposits, as 
it was called, made the merchants and others very angry, and 
business got into great confusion, but Jackson carried the day. 

Then came up trouble over the ' ' tariff " question. The South 
said, "We want free trade, and we're going to have it. If the 
North wants protection let her have it. But we are going to have 
free trade." 

But Congress said, "No; we can't make a law for one part 
of the United States. Either all must have free trade or all must 
have protection." 

The people at the South did not like it, and those of South 
Carolina declared that they would not pay the duty on goods 
brought into Charleston. They were upheld in this by Mr. Calhoun, 
their greatest statesman. 

But this was breaking the great bargain made in the National 
Constitution, and President Jackson plainly told the people of 
South Carolina that they must pay the duty or he would send 
United States troops there. 

It was then that glorious Henry Clay stepped forward once 
more with his eloquent voice and winning manner. He rose to 
heal discord, as he had done thirteen years before, when the 
question of slavery was nearly splitting the Union in two, and 
proposed a plan by which the taxes were to be cut down, little 
by little, every year for ten years. It was not what the South- 
erners wanted, as they thought the taxes were wrong altogether, 
and should be taken off bodily; nor yet what the manufacturers 
wanted, but rather than risk a civil war and break up the Union, 
the South agreed to the plan. 

So, after a sharp debate, Congress adopted Mr. Clay's plan. 
It is called in history the Compromise Tariff, another of those 



2l8 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



great compromises which have staved off the hour of danger from 
this glorious repubhc, and covered the name of Clay with renown. 

Just before Jackson assumed the reins of government, he met 
with the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of his wife, 
whom he loved with devotion which has, perhaps, never been 
surpassed. From the shock of her death he never recovered. 

He ever afterward appeared like a changed man. He became 
subdued in spirit, and except when his terrible temper had been 
greatly aroused, seldom used profane language. It is said that 
every night afterward, until his own death, he read a prayer from 
his wife's prayer-book with her likeness before him. With frank- 
ness characteristic of his nature, he expressed his deep conviction 
and his hope and intention to become a Christian before he 
should die. 

His administration was one of the most memorable in the 
annals of our country; applauded by one party, condemned by the 
other. No man had more bitter enemies or warmer friends. 

Martin Van Buren. 



ONCE upon a time, when a great part of America belonged 
to the Dutch, a roving Dutchman named Van Buren came 
hither, and settled himself down. About the same time 
there was born to this farmer a son, to whom he gave the 
plain, honest old name of Martin. 

Old Abraham Van Buren was a capi- 
tal farmer in his way. He sowed his seed 
at the right time, and wrought from dawn 
till dark when the season for harvesting ar- 
rived. He was, besides, a very good man, 
much loved by his neighbors. 

But this honest old farmer was not 
rich. He had two other sons besides Mar- 
tin, and he could not afford to pay for 
costly schooling for any of them. He had 
them taught just what the poorest boys in 
^'''^'oZ'ft^m!l^Ji&?^^' ^^^ United States now learn; and when 




THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 219 

Martin was about fourteen years old, he sent him to a lawyer to 

study law. 

Seven long years he toiled, reading and writing and learning 
to speak fluently in public; at last he was admitted to the bar, 
and set up as a lawyer. He was very young; had not been to any 
college, as most lawyers have. 

Thirty-four years from that time he was President of the 
United States. It would take too long to tell you of all the steps 
by which he rose to that high rank. It will be quite enough to 
say that from the first he was industrious and honest. He had a 
very sound, quick judgment, and, from mixing early in politics, had 
acquired great skill in managing men. But his best qualities were 
his honesty and industry. 

The year 1837 will long be remembered in America. It was 
a dark, gloomy, sad year. 

You remember that when General Jackson made the great 
bank pay over all the government money, he gave it for safe keep- 
ing to the State banks. This would have been a very good plan 
if these State banks had been managed by wise, prudent, and 
honest men. You know what the Bible says of money — that the 
love of it is the "root of all evil." It is certainly the root of covet- 
ousness. 

When the State banks found the gold and silver pouring fnto 
their coffers from the government offices, they were thrown into 
such a state of covetousness that they lost their wits entirely. 
They began to lend money right and left. They set to work to 
make paper dollars to any amount. 

When a man wanted money he would go to one of these 
banks and say to the cashier, 

"If you please, sir, I want so many hundred dollars." 

Upon which the cashier would fly to his strong box, and count 
him out the sum required, always .taking care to charge some- 
thing handsome for interest. 

In this way everybody got so much paper money that they 
did not know what to do with it. Some bought houses; others 
bought tracts of lands; others started absurd companies; others 
lived in grand style, and had ever so many servants in livery. In 



220 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

short, it seemed that boundless wealth had suddenly fallen upon 
the United States as if by enchantment. 

You know very well that wealth never comes by enchantment, 
and that those who grow rich do so by long and patient work and 
economy. You know, also, that those who spend more than they 
earn are really poorer than the poorest hod-carrier, and must 
some day break with a terrible crash. 

This is just what happened. The day came when the banks 
asked some of their customors to pay back their loans. They 
could not do so, having spent the money. The banks said they 
must. As they had nothing with which to pay, they broke; soon 
the banks were no better off than they, and broke likewise. 

Then came an awful time, when almost everyone was ruined, 
and thousands and thousands of families were reduced to misery 
and want. The streets were filled with workmen seeking work and 
finding none, while their children starved at home. 

In their distress and misery a number of the latter flocked to 
President Van Buren, and entreated him to help them. They said 
their ruin was all owing to General Jackson's bad policy. 

But Mr. Van Buren answered that it was not so; that the 
mischief was their own doing, in borrowing too much money; that 
he could do nothing but advise them to go home, and be wiser 
in the future. 

At last Mr. Van Buren persuaded Congress to agree to a 
plan for keeping the government money by itself in the Treasury; 
and the beginning of a sound system was thus made. 

It was now election time. The Democrats were all of one 
mind about the choice of a President. Their man was Martin 
Van Buren once more. 

But the distress of the last four years, and especially the idea 
— which was quite a mistake — that it had been caused by Mr. 
Van Buren, had quite broken up the party, and not left them a 
ghost of a chance. 

The Whigs won the day, and Harrison and Tyler were to be 
the next President and Vice-President of the United States. 

Mr. Van Buren gave up his ofhce in March, 1841, and retired 
to private life. 



THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 



221 



William H. Harrison. 



GENERAL HARRISON, the ninth president of the United 
States, had been a distinguished soldier; had fought bravely at 
Tippecanoe and in Canada, and shown great military skill. 
It does not often happen that men who lead armies 
or political parties are poor. Even if they begin poor, they usu- 
ally manage in the end to secure pickings enough to become rich. 
But Harrison was so poor, after all his services as a soldier and 
a statesman, that when he retired to his farm on the Ohio, he 
was very glad to accept the office of clerk to the county. 

He was still clerk of this court, getting a few hundred dollars 
a year for his services, when the Whigs elected him President of 
the United States. He was a fine, manly, open-hearted old man 

and everybody was glad when he rode up 
to the Capitol on his white horse, sur- 
rounded by his old soldiers. 

People flocked to Washington and all 
day long the White House was full of 
visitors. Harrison was friendly to every- 
one; and was loved more and more every 
day. 

In the midst of his receptions, he was 
struck down by illness. The disease made 
such rapid progress, that just one month 
after his inauguration the good old man 
died. 

A few hours before his death, when the doctors were stand- 
ing round him, he cleared his throat and said to one of the 
doctors, 

"Sir, I wish you to understand the principles of the Govern- 
ment. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more." 

A messenger was sent off in all haste to Mr. Tyler, the Vice- 
President, who was then at home in Virginia. He hurried to 
Washington and became President of the United States. 

His election as Vice-President by the Whigs was altogether a 
queer business; for he had been a friend of the Democrats, and 




William Henry Harrison. 
«773="84i. 



222 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 




a foe to the Whig principles. Somehow — it is hardly worth while 
inquiring how — he had gone to the Whig convention, and, being 

a great friend of Mr. Clay's, and a lead- 
ing man in Virginia, the Whigs had picked 
him out as a very proper man to run with 
Harrison. 

Then followed a great deal of shuf- 
fling and fencing on the part of the Pres- 
ident and the politicians. First he said 
he would have the bank; then he said he 
wouldn't; and then he would again; and 
then he wouldn't. 

The Whigs were in a terrible rage 

John Tyier-i79o-i862. and Called him traitor. All the cabinet 

resigned except Daniel Webster, who was a far-seeing, wise man, 

and did not care about small party squabbles. The President 

appointed new men and the business went on as before. 

Next came the manufacturers, who called themselves Whigs: 
they said that their time was come and that they would have 
plenty of protection to native industry once more. 

Congress was quite ready to give it and passed a law imme- 
diately to lay heavier taxes on foreign goods. President Tyler be- 
gan to shuffle as before: first he would and then he wouldn't; 
but last of all, he would, and the act was signed and became a 
law. 

The next excitement was about territory. For many years 
citizens of the United States had been running over into Texas, 
which was then one of the Mexican States, a wild place to live 
in, full of fierce Indians. 

However, the Americans who went there came in course of 
time to like it so well that they determined to have it all to 
themselves. So they sent word to the President of Mexico that 
they would have nothing more to do with him and declared them- 
selves free. 

Soon the Texans sent to Washington, and said to the Pres- 
ident: "If you please, we would like to be admitted to the Union: 
will you let us in?" 



THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 



223 



"Let you in!" cried 
Mr. Tyler, "why, we shall 
be perfectly delighted." 

But when the treaty 
was sent to the Senate to 
be ratified, that body would 
not hear of it. The Senate 
said that Mexico had still 
claims on Texas; that it 
was not honest to rob her 
of her territory; and that 
they would not agree to 
admit Texas unless Mexico 
declared she was willing 
she should. 

Just at this time an- 
other presidential election 
was at hand. 

The tussle was between 
Henry Clay and James K. 
Polk, and the question to be decided by the votes was: 
Shall we let Texas in or not? 
The answer was: Let her in. 

For, though Mr. Clay was very much beloved by the people, 
he had only 105 votes, whereas Mr. Polk had 170, and was ac- 
cordingly elected. 




John C. Calhoun. 



James Knox Polk. (1845-1849.) 

JAMES KNOX POLK, the eleventh President of the United 
States, was a lawyer and a politician. He was none the worse 
on that account; on the contrary, he was as upright, straight- 
forward and blunt a man as ever lived in the White House. 
The first thing he would have to do, as he supposed, was 
to let Texas into the Union. But when he became President he 
found, rather to his surprise, that the whole affair was done and 
ended. For queer Captain Tyler, in his droll way, had got Con- 



224 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 




gress to pass resolutions patching up the 
annexation of Texas; and the very last thing 
he did was to send off post haste to Texas 
and say that everything was arranged and 
that Texas might come in. 

The government of Mexico had never 
acknowledged the independence of Texas, 
but continued to claim it as a part of that 
republic. Of course the act of Congress in 
admitting it into the United States was of- 
fensive. 

James K. Poik-i79s=i849. Xhis ofTcuse and an old quarrel about 

debts due from Mexico to people of the United States soon caused 
a war. Mexico was settled by Spaniards and formerly belonged 
to Spain. After a time, however, the people defied the King of 
Spain and declared themselves independent. 

It seems too bad that Mexico, who had, like the United States, 
just thrown off the yoke of the mother country, must now plunge 
into war, but she felt she must protect her rights, so war was 
the result. 

I shall not attempt to tell you about this war — it was 
like all other wars, a series of terrible battles in which thousands 
of men were killed and thousands of homes made desolate. It 
ended at last in the victory of the Americans over the Mexicans. 
There was nothing now for Mexico to do but to make peace 
on the best terms she could. A treaty was signed accordingly, 
which I think is quite without parallel in the history of treaties. 
It agreed that matters should remain as they were before the war; 
that Mexico should not meddle any more with Texas; and that 
the United States should buy from the Mexicans the provinces of 
Upper California and New Mexico for fifteen millions of dollars. 
You may look a long time in history before you will find a con- 
quering army making such easy terms with its vanquished foe as 
these. 

It was approved on both sides, and the war ended. For 
liberty's sake, they ought to have the good-will and sympathy of 
every American. 



226 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



In the same month when this treaty was made, gold was first 
found in CaHfornia. When it was known that gold was plentiful 
thousands of people went from the United States to dig it. Gold 
worth millions and millions of dollars has been found in California 
since then, and a fine State of the Union has grown up on the 
Pacific Ocean. 

The brave deeds of General Taylor in Mexico made him 
respected and beloved by the people of the United States, and at 
the election for President in the autumn of 1848 he was chosen 
Chief Magistrate of the Republic. 



Z 



Taylor's Administration. 

ACHARY TAYLOR was sixty-five years of age when he 
became the twelfth President of the United States. As the 
fourth of March came on Sunday, he was not inaugurated 
until the fifth. 




Zachary Taylor. 1784*1850. 
Part of one term, 1849=1851. 




Millard Filmore. 1800=1874, 



Very soon President Taylor sickened and died. That sad 
event occurred in July, 1850. He was the second President who 
had died while in office. His last words were: "I am prepared; 
I have endeavored to do my duty." 

The Vice-President, Millard Filmore, then became President 
of the United States, and continued so the balance of the term. 



THE GOOD TIMES ERA. 



227 



The Slavery Question. 

FRANKLIN PIERCE was then f*resident four years, then 
James Buchanan, who retained the chair the same length of 
time. 

The chief event of the period was a dreadful strife 
between the North and the South on the subject of slavery. Both 

sections of the coun- 
try were greatly ex- 
cited and very bitter 
in their language 
against each other. 
Great numbers of 
persons in the North 
made a solemn vow 
to prevent, so far as 
they could, the ad- 
mission of any more 
slave States into the 

Franklin Pierce. 1804=1868. TTriion On the Other James Buchanan. 1791=1868. 

hand, several States in the South plainly declared that they 
would put up no longer with the insults of the North, and would 
secede from the Union. 

In the year i860 the Prince of Wales, who expects to be King 
of England some day, came here to visit America and our Pres- 
ident. As soon as he was gone the old quarrel of slavery was 
resumed. 

The conscience of the nation began to struggle, and the belief 
was more and more entertained that slavery was a civil and social 
crime and ought to be destroyed. This opinion, this conviction, 
comparatively feeble at the beginning, rapidly developed, and we 
shall now see what was the result. 

Soon after Abraham Lincoln was elected President, and then 
began the greatest civil war ever known. 





PART VI. 



The Civil War. 




The Abolitionists. 

E now are close to that terrible war known in his- 
tory as the great Civil War. 

The cause of this war sprang from the fact 
that the Southern States were determined to keep 
slaves and threatened to withdraw from the Union 
if their rights were interfered with. The North- 
ern people were mostly opposed to slavery and 
wanted the sin abolished. Hence they were called 
Abolitionists. From the time a few handfuls of 
slaves had been brought over in trading vessels from Africa until 
the Civil War, the slavery business had increased until it reached 
a gigantic state. 

In all probability, the Northern States would have permitted 
this to go on had the slaves been allowed freedom of speech, the 
right to vote and been treated kindly and considerately; but they 
were not only bought and sold like cattle, but were made to work 
whether sick or well, eat the poorest kind of food, receive no edu- 
cation, and, in fact, were treated more like cattle than men and 
women. 

Oftentimes these slaves would run away and go into the 
Northern States that were free. This the Southerners did not like. 
Then was passed the Fugitive Law, which permitted the owner of 
slaves to go into another State and carry home all runaway slaves. 
This, after a time, brought on more cruelty, for the holders of 
slaves would oftentimes pursue a runaway with bloodhounds and 

228 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



229 



cause the slaves to resort to all sorts of means of escape, even 
to death itself. 

The following story told by Abby Sage Richardson, in her 
history, is but a sample of many others of a like nature which 
could be told: 

"Margaret was 
a slave. Not a 
very black slave, 
but with a dusky 
yellow skin like 
those we call mu- 
lattos. She had 
two children, a 
boy and girl. The 
little girl was 
white, as fair, per- 
haps, as you or I. 
From some cause 
or other, Margaret 
Garner did not like 
to stay in slavery, 
and ran away with 
her two children 
and two other 
slaves. They all 
hid in a house of 
a free negro, but 
were soon tracked 
to their hiding 
place by Margar- 
et's master and a 
force of men he 
had brought with 
him. The door 
was barred, but the officers battered it down and got in. When 
they entered, there stood Margaret Garner with a bloody knife in 
her hand between the bodies of her two children. She had cut 




Slaves in Plantation. 



2 30 S TORIES FROM AMERICA N HIS TOR V. 

their throats with her own hand, and said that she would rather 
have them dead than taken back to slavery. The little girl was 
already quite dead, but the boy was only wounded and afterward 
got well. Margaret loved her dead baby, called her 'Birdie, 'and 
wept when she told how pretty she was. But so far as I can 
learn she never was sorry that she killed her. They carried the 
mother and her wounded boy back to her master, and she was 
never heard of any more." 

Such actions as these made the North furious; indignation 
meetings were held, and hundreds and hundreds of Northerners 
joined the Abolitionists. 



Y 



John Brown's Raid. 

OU all have heard the song. 

John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave, 
John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave, 
John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave, 
But his soul goes marching on. 
Glory, glory, hallelujah, etc. 



I wonder if all who sing this song really know the story of 
John Brown, or why this song lives in the hearts of the American 
people? 

Many years ago, just before the Civil War, there lived in 
Kansas a brave, good man, who was opposed to slavery. His home 
was at Ossawatomie. Some of the people in his State believed in 
keeping slaves, others did not. It so happened that a quarrel 
sprang up about this very question, and people from other slave States 
came into Kansas to help control matters and force the people to 
yield, and thus establish a law whereby Kansas could be permitted 
to keep slaves. A few hundred of these soldiers came to the town 
of Ossawatomie, where John Brown lived. With a small body of 
men he repulsed the soldiers. 

It was now known that he was a friend of the slaves, and 
time and again they came to him for protection. 

One day a slave came, begging him to assist him in saving 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



231 



his wife and children. True as steel, the brave John Brown went 
to his rescue. 

He boldly marched to the plantation, killed the planter, and 





Harper's Ferry. 

helped the slaves to flee to Canada, where they were out of reach 
of the United States law. 

This act brought down the wrath of the South, and for safety 
he, too, went to Canada. 

Here, though, he was not content, and a few months after he, 
with his sons, hired a farm near Harper's Ferry, and went to work, 
as the neighborhood supposed, to till the soil. 

The Confederates had built an arsenal at Harper's Ferry, and 
stored it with guns and all implements of war, which was guarded 
by watchmen. 

Shortly after John Brown's arrival he begah to receive by ex- 



232 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



press and freight, boxes, which, as the people supposed, were farm- 
ing implements, but you can guess what these boxes contained 
when you learn that John Brown, with his sons and a few others, 
twenty-two in all, surprised the watchmen of the arsenal, bound 
them hand and foot and took possession of the arsenal. John 




Capture of John Brown. 



Brown expected a hundred slaves to join him that day, but for 
some reason they never came, and before he realized it a com- 
pany of militia marched to the arsenal and sealed the doom of 
brave John Brown and his sons. 

He was tried by a Virginia court anji sentenced to be hanged. 

While in prison he was calm and poble, feeling he had done 
only what was noble. "I have brokefc the laws of the State," 
said he; but "I have kept the laws of God; and the laws of God 
are greater than any laws of State." 



THE CIVIL WAR. 233 

On his way to the scaffold he passed by a slave woman hold- 
ing a baby in her arms. He bent and kissed the baby. Little 
did this black child know what John Brown had done for him, 
but God and that mother did. 

Soon the drop fell, and thus ended the life of brave John 
Brown upon earth. Let us remember him not as dead, but as 
we do many other noble men who have given their life for the 
principles of right — that death here is the beginning of a new 
life yonder. 

Abraham Lincoln. 

DR. GURLEY says: "Probably no man, since the days of 
Washington, was ever so deeply and firmly embedded and 
enshrined in the hearts of the people as Abraham Lincoln. 
Nor was it a mistaken confidence and love. He deserved 
it, deserved it well, deserved it all. He merited it by his character, 
by his acts and by the tenor and tone and spirit of his life." 

Born in poverty, and with small advantages of education, can 
you imagine what pluck, perseverance and self-denial it must have 
taken to climb the topmost ladder of glory upon which Abraham 
Lincoln stands to-day? 

First, let us pause in due reverence and lay a flower on the 
grave of his mother. Her inspiration meant everything to the life 
and destiny of this great man. She was a noble woman, gentle, 
loving, pensive, created to adorn a palace, doomed to toil and 
pine and die in a hovel. "All that I am, or hope to be," exclaimed 
the grateful son, "I owe to my angel-mother; blessings on her 
memory!" 

When eight years of age his father sold his Kentucky home 
and moved to Indiana. Three horses took the family and all 
their household goods — a seven days' journey to their new home. 
Here kind neighbors helped them in putting up another log cabin. 
But the home was comfortless, and after two years Mrs. Lincoln 
sank and died. Abraham was then ten years of age. Bitterly 
he wept as his mother was laid in her humble grave near the 
cabin. The high esteem in which this noble woman was held can 
be seen from the fact that the minister rode a hundred miles on 



234 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



horseback through the wilderness to preach her funeral sermon; 
and two hundred neighbors, who were scattered over a distance 
of twenty miles, assembled to attend the service. 

It was a scene for a painter — the log cabin, alone in its soli- 
tary loneliness, left vacant by the death of one who was the light 
of the home. 

But, though dead, her memory was not forgotten, and her 
words rang out long- after wealth was attained and honor bestowed. 




Early Home of Abraham Lincoln, Qentryville, Ind. 

Abraham was not a handsome boy. Pie v/astall. angular and 
muscular; but, as if to offset this, he was genial and obliging, and 
always ready to sacrifice his own comfort to assist others. One 
day he built a raft or boat — necessity is said to be the mother of 
invention — to carry the produce of the farm down the Ohio River 
to market. One day as he was standing by his boat two men 
came down to the shore and wished to be taken out to a steamer 
in the river. Abraham took them out with their luggage. Each 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



335 



of them tossed a silver half-dollar to him. In telling this story 
in the day when his income was twenty-five thousand dollars a 
year, he said: 

" I could scarcely believe my eyes. It was the most important 
incident in my life. I could scarcely believe that I, a poor boy, 
had earned a dollar in less than a day. The world seemed wider 
and fairer before me. I was more hopeful and confident from 
that time." 

When Abraham was about twenty his father moved to Macon 
County, Illinois. Here with his vigorous hands he aided his father 
in rearing another log cabin. It was made of hewn timber. The 
only tools they had to work with were an ax, a saw and a draw- 
knife. A smoke house and barn were added, and ten acres of 
land were fenced in by split rails. Abraham worked diligently at 
this until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their small 
farm planted with corn; then he told his father of his intention 

to leave home, and go 
out into the world to 
seek his fortune. Little 
did he or his friends im- 
agine how brilliant that 
fortune was to be. But 
the elements of 
ness were then 
developed. He saw 
the value of education. 
Young Abraham worked 
for a time as a hired 
laborer among the farm- 
ers. Then he went to 
Springfield, where he was 
employed in building a 
boat. After this he was 
given charge of a store. 
Blessings seemed to fol- 

Henry Wadsworth Lonjjfellow. lowhim. CustomcrS WCrC 

multiplied. His straightforward, determined honesty secured con- 



i^ 




great- 
being 



236 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



fidence. In settling a bill with a woman he took six and a quarter 
cents too much. He found it out in his night's reckoning, and 
immediately, in the dark, walked two miles and a half distant, 
to pay it back to her. At another time, just as he was about to 
close the store, he weighed out half a pound of tea for a woman. 
In the morning he found that, by defect in the scales, the woman 
had received four ounces less than belonged to her. He weighed 
out the four ounces and carried them to her, a long walk before 
breakfast. Later he was appointed postmaster. The duties were 
light and the pay small. All the letters he received he carried, 
ready to deliver as he chanced to meet those to whom they were 
addressed. 

In 1834 he was elected to the State Legislature. A friend 
at this time advised him to study law, and offered to loan him 
books. He borrowed a load of books, carried them upon his back 
to New Salem, and began work. When the Legislature assembled, 
he trudged on foot, with his pack on his back, one hundred miles 
to .Vandalia, then the capital of the State. At the close of the 
session he walked home and resumed the study of the law. These 
years of thought accomplished their work, and suddenly he flashed 
forth an orator. It was at a public meeting in Bloommgton that he 
electrified the audience, and was at once recognized as one of the 
most eloquent men in the State. 

The result was that when Lincoln came to be President of 
the United States he wrote letters and made speeches that aston- 
ished the world. Whatever he was called upon to do, he did it 

with such kindly feeling, unassumed man- 
ners, good English, simplicity of language 
and earnestness of speech that he won all 
^ hearts, — the rich and poor, the great and 
small. 

His opponents, when they desired to 
ridicule, called him the "rail-splitter." Oh! 
how I wish we had more of them ! Possibly 
it was while splitting rails, way back in his 
boyhood life, that he learned from nature 
.w u . . .«„«.«/.. the lessons of hfe. Who knows? Here he 

Abrabam Lincoln— loog-ioos. 




THE CIVIL WAR. 23; 

may have absorbed sparkle and sunshine which was re-echoed in 
his wit; he may have drunk from the dews a moisture which was 
rekindled in sympathy and tears. And with open eye he may 
have learned thrift from the ant and flight from the bird. 

Be this the case or not, we know truth and justice stood al- 
ways at his ritj'ht hand. 

In a speech on the evening of his defeat in the election for 
the Senate in 1858, just before the Civil War, Mr. Lincoln said. 

" 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' I believe that 
this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half- 
free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved, I do not expect 
the house to fall; but I do expect that it will cease to be divided. 
It will become all one thing, or all another. Either the opponents 
of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where 
the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of 
ultimate extinction, or its advocates will push it forward till it shall 
become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new, North as 
well as South." 

When he was nominated President to show in what measure 
he had won the hearts of the American people during his political 
career I cannot better describe the scene which ensued than in the 
language of Dr. Holland: — 

"The excitement had culminated. After a moment's pause, like 
the sudden and breathless stillness that precedes the hurricane, the 
storm of wild, uncontrollable, and almost insane enthusiasm de- 
scended. The scene surpassed description. During all the ballot- 
ings, a man had been standing upon the roof, communicating the 
results to the outsiders, who, in surging masses, far outnumbered 
those who were packed in the Wigwam. To this man one of the 
secretaries shouted, 'Fire the salute! Abe Lincoln is nominated!' 
Then, as the cheering inside died away, the roar began on the 
outside, and swelled up from the excited masses, like the voice 
of many waters. This the insiders heard, and to it they replied. 
Thus deep called to deep with such a frenzy of sympathetic en- 
thusiasm, that even the thundering salute of cannon was unheard 
by many on the platform." 

Four years of Civil War passed slowly and sadly away. 



258 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



There came another Presidential election. Again Mr. Lincoln was 
triumphantly elected. The evening of his election he said: — 

"I am thankful to God for this approval of the people; but 
while deeply grateful for this mark of their confidence in me, if I 
know my heart, my gratitude is free from any taint of personal 
triumph. I do not impugn the motives of anyone opposed to me. 
It is no pleasure to me to triumph over anyone; but I give 
thanks to the Almighty for this evidence of the people's resolution 
to stand by a free government and the rights of humanity." 

An immense and enthusiastic crowd attended his second in- 
auguration. His address on the occasion was one of the noblest 
utterances which ever fell from the lips of a ruler when entering 
upon office. In allusion to the parties arrayed against each other 
in the war, he said: — 

"Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and 
each invokes his aid against the other. It may seem strange that 
any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing 

their bread from the sweat 
of other men's faces; but let 
us judge not, that we be not 
judged. The prayers of both 
could not be answered. That 
of neither has been answered 
fully. The Almighty has his 
own purposes. 'Woe unto the 
world because of offenses! 
For it must needs be that 
offenses come; but woe to 
that man by whom the offense 
Cometh! ' 

"If we shall suppose that 
American slavery is one of 
those offenses which, in the 
providence of God, must needs 
come, but which having continued through his appointed time, he 
now wills to remove, and that he gives to both North and South 
this terrible war, shall we discern therein any departure from those 




Washington Irving. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



239 



divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe 
to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this 
mighty scourge of war may soon pass away. Yet if God wills 
that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsmen's two 
hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and 
every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid with another 
drawn with the sword, — as was said three thousand years ago, 
so still it must be said. 'The judgments of the Lord are true and 
righteous altogether.' 

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firm- 
ness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on 
to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to 
care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow 
and orphans; to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and 
a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." 



Lincoln and the People. 

ONE of the most remarkable conditions in the life of Abraham 
Lincoln was his nearness to the people, and one of the many 
beautiful things of his life lies in the fact that as President 
of the great republic he still maintained his character for 
modesty and simplicity in the performance of the duties of that 

great office. Seward, the statesman, 
might have been defeated, while Lin- 
coln, the rail-splitter; Lincoln, the 
story-teller; Lincoln, the stump speak- 
er; Lincoln, the plain man of the plain 
people, was invincible in that great 
struggle. 

Mr. Lincoln was very remarkable 
for his fund of anecdote. He always 
had his little story with which to illus- 
trate any point, and the illustration 
was often found to contain resistless 




argument. 



James Russell Lowell. 



Some gentlemen called one day 



240 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



with complaints against the administration. The President Hstened 
to them patiently, and then replied: 

"Gentlemen, suppose all the property you were worth was in 
gold, and you had put it into the hands of Blondin to carry across 
the Niagara River on a rope, would you shake the cable, or keep 
shouting out to him: 'Blondin, stand up a little straighter; Blon- 
din, stoop a little more; go a little faster; lean a little more to the 
north, lean a little more to the south?' No, you would hold your 
breath as well as your tongue, and keep your hands of[ until he 
was safe over. The government are carrying an immense weight. 
Untold treasures are in their hands. They are doing the very best 
they can. Don't badger them. Keep silent, and we'll get you safe 
across. " 

"I hope," said a clergyman to him one day, "that the Lord 
is on our side." " I am not at all concerned about that," was Mr. 
Lincoln's reply; "for I know that the Lord is always on the side 
of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and 
this nation should be on the Lord's side." 



The Blue and the Gray, or the Unionists and the 

Confederates. 



W 



HEN Lincoln, who was opposed to slavery, was elected 
President of the United States in i860, politicians in the 
South who favored the holding of slaves formed a con- 
vention and declared several States free. In other words, 

they declared they would 
withdraw from the Union 
and govern themselves. 

They formed a Con- 
federacy, and made Jeffer- 
son Davis, a bold and ac- 
tive man, their chief ruler. 

This, as you see, di- 
vided the Government. 
Those of the North, who 

The Confederate Flag. ^^ ^ WCrC OppOSCd tO slaVCry and 




THE CIVIL WAR. 



241 



favored the Union, were called the Unionists and wore a uniform 
of blue. Those of the South, who favored slavery and withdrew 
from the Union, were called Confederates, and wore uniforms of 
gray. So bear in mind, nothing was heard of Whigs or Tories, 
Democrats or Republicans, but simply the Unionists and the Con- 
federates. This was the condition of affairs just before the Civil 
War — now let us see what was next done. 

Fort Sumter. 

YOU who have never been to South Carolina and visited the 
old city of Charleston can form no idea of what Fort Sumter 
looks like. Neither can I tell you in such a way as to 
impress you as it did me on my visit there. 
Perhaps I need only to say that the fort is built on a rock 
at the entrance of the bay. In order to reach it one must take 
a steamer or a boat of some kind and steam away quite a little 
distance from the old city of Charleston. 

There upon the rock in the sea our Government built a house 




Port Sumter. 



16 



242 5 TORIES FROM AMERICA N HIS TOR Y. 

of stone. Projecting through the walls were cannon and guns. 
Soldiers were stationed there to hold the fort and prevent enemies 
from entering the bay and gaining access to our beautiful country. 
Just before Lincoln became President, Colonel Anderson of 
Fort Sumter had sent word to President Buchanan that he must 
have more soldiers, more guns and more ammunition in order 
to hold the fort. He waited, but none came. Then when Lincoln 
became President he made another request and sent word that 
he must have help and supplies at once. President Lincoln began 
at once to respond, but his help arrived too late. 

The Confederates in the meantime had learned of the state 
of affairs at Fort Sumter and immediately demanded the surrender 
of the fort to them. But brave Colonel Anderson said, "No! 
we will not surrender so long as we have food left to eat and 
ammunition left to fire. We will not give up." But brave man 
as he was, his eighty soldiers were powerless to drive back the 
enemy who already were in possession of three other forts near 
by and two heavy floating rafts which the Confederates had built 
to open fire on Fort Sumter. The shot and shell fell like rain, 
and twice the wooden frame on the inside took hre, but, notwith- 
standing all this, as fast as the Stars and Stripes which lioated 
over the fort were shot down, immediately someone was ready 
to nail them up again. Finally, however, on the second day, the 
white flag of surrender had to be shown. 

The bravery of Colonel Anderson's men was sufficient to thrill 
the heart of every Union man in America, 
and though not a man was lost on either 
side, it brought forth exclamations from 
old and young, rich and poor, and told 
in language plainer than words that the 
Civil War had begun. Ask your parents 
to tell you all about it. President Lincoln 
sent forth a call for volunteers, and the 
way all classes of the North responded was 
a marvel to every man. It was thirty-six 
Robert Anderson. years ago, yct SO strong an impression 

did it make that the memory is still as green in the hearts of 




THE CIVIL WAR. 243 

our fathers, mothers and grandparents, as though it occurred only 
yesterday. Perhaps you lost an uncle; or possibly a father. Brave 
men everywhere offered up their lives to save the "Union." 

Oh, it was exciting times. In every town, on a certain day, 
the brave boys would march down keeping time to the drum, and 
take the trains that would bear them away to war. 

Such tears of good-bye as were shed; such kisses of farewells 
as mothers gave to sons. 
■ Then they sang: 

The Battle Cry of Freedom. 

Yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again, 

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom, 
We will rally from the hillside, we'll gather from the plain. 

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom. 

The Union forever, Hurrah, boys, hurrah! 

Down with the traitor. Up with the star. 

While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again, 

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom. 

In the South also the same feeling as to what they thought 
was right was shown among the men and women everywhere. 
They loved their States as truly as the Northerners loved the 
Union. 

When the news came that Fort Sumter had surrendered, men 
and women of the South were wild with joy. Songs were sung, 
public meetings were held, and the people were wild with ex- 
citement. 

Battle of Bull's Run. 

JEFFERSON DAVIS and his associates went to Richmond in 
July, and called that the capital of the Confederacy. National 
troops soon started from Washington to drive them away and 
stop the rebellion. They met the Confederates near a place 
known as Manassas Junction, and on a stream of water called 
Bull's Run. Here a great battle ensued. The advantage was with 



.244 



STORIES FRQM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



the Union army, and at one 
time it looked as if the Con- 
federates would suffer a com- 
plete defeat; but in the crisis 
of the battle General Johnston 
arrived with nearly six thou- 
sand fresh troops, from the 
Shenandoah Valley. The tide 
of victory immediately turned, 
and McDowell's whole army 
was thrown back in rout and 
confusion, A panic spread 
through the forces. The sol- 
diers dropped guns and fled 
like boys without system or 
order. Citizens and soldiers be- 





Qeneral J. E. Johnston. 



Union Soldier, 

came 

mixed in the broken order of retreat. 
The losses on both sides were 
great, the Union being 2,951, and 
the Confederates 2,050. Never before 
in America had such numbers fallen 
in battle, and yet this was but the 
beginning of what was to follow. 
Great was the chagrin and disappoint- 
ment in the North, and great was the 
joy in the South. 



The Army of the Potomac. 

ylFTER a battle, comes a calm; after rain, comes sunshine; 
/ \ so after the depression caused by the defeat of the Union 
jTJL Forces at Bull's Run, a reaction set in. The panic quickly 
subsided, and the North, doubhng and trebling its energies, 
sent men from every town and village. They were indeed wide 
awake now. General George McClellan was put in command, and for 
discipline proved himself to be one of the finest officers of the war. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



245 



He soon got his great army of 150,000 men drilled so it was 
like an engine of war. Each man moved about as if he was born 
"to be a soldier. This wonderful army was called, "Army of the 
Potomac." 

Many complaints were made by the people of the North be- 
cause this army accomplished so little, at first, under General Mc- 




Soldiers Crossing: Pontoon Bridge. 

Clellan, but perhaps it is easier for us all to detect faults in others 
than to see them in ourselves. The Northerners were anxious to 
see each day when they picked up the newspaper that something 
had been accomphshed, but it invariably read, "All quiet on the 
Potomac." 

The Cotton Industry. 



N 



OW that various armies had been organized to protect the 
interest of the Federal Government on land, the next thing 
demanding attention was to gain full command of the sea- 
coast. 



246 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



At the entrance to every harbor, a fleet was sent, and soon 
a blockade was estabHshed all around the Confederate coast. This 
prevented the Southerners from communicating with the foreign 
nations. The Northerners knew the quicker the South was shut 
off from all means of supplies, the quicker they must give up, and 
the war come to an end. 

The South relied upon the cotton crop to meet their wants. 
American cotton had now become a necessity in England, and 




Picking; Cotton. 

when this supply was cut off, it caused a calamity, not in the 
South alone, but in England. As a result, England felt a sym- 
pathy for the Confederate States. This came near throwing the 
United States and England in another war, but at our head was 
a wise man — Abraham Lincoln. By his tact, good judgment, and 
honor, the peril of war with England was averted. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



247 




Picket Guard, "Who Goes There?" 



A 



The Picket Guard. 

LL quiet along the Potomac," they say, 
" Except now and then a stray picket 
Is shot as he walks on his beat to and fro. 
By a rifleman hid in a thicket. 

'Tis nothing; a private or two now and then 
Will not count in the news of the battle. 



248 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 
Fort Donelson. 



IN February, 1862, General Grant, with Western troops, went 
to the Cumberland River, not far from Nashville, in Tennessee, 
and took from the Confederates Fort Donelson, and over thir- 
teen thousand men. This was more men than General Scott 
went into Mexico with, and conquered it. 

Here, at the battle of Fort Donelson, is 
told a story of Grant, showing even in early 
life what might be expected of the man as 
time advanced. 

General Buckner sent out word to Grant 
asking on what terms he would accept their 
surrender. 

"Unconditional surrender, are my only 
terms," replied Grant. This meant they 
must give up themselves, and all that they 
had. 

" Unconditional Surrender," became the 
by-word in every town, and though his name 
was Ulysses S. Grant, people everywhere preferred to think that 
U. S. Grant meant Unconditional Surrender Grant. 





Union Army Building a Bridge. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



249 



Battle of Shiloh. 

THE President of the United States is the Commander-in- 
Chief, or head general, of all the warriors of the nation on 
land and sea, and whatever he tells them to do, they must do. 
Now, knowing that the Confederates were in arms in many 
places, and growing more numerous every day, he ordered 

all of his armies to move against 

them on the 2 2d of February, 

the birthday of Washington. Grant 

had gone over to the Tennessee 

River, and early in April, near 

»: Pittsburg Landing, he and his 

^B troops fought the Confederates 

^^^Rt^B under General Beauregard for two 

days, beating them, and driving 

them into Mississippi. 

The losses in killed, wounded 
and missing in this dreadful con- 
flict were more than ten thousand 
on each side. Never before had 
so many been killed in a single 
, ■ o .. .., . . «,u.. -n . r^ battle on this side of the Atlantic. 

Jnlon Soldier Wounded While Trying to Escape. » 




Harriet Beecher Stowe. 

THERE are few women in American history who have been 
so highly praised and so severely censured as Harriet Beecher 
Stowe. Mrs. Stowe was born in the year 181 2, at Litchfield, 
Conn. Her father was just at this time rising into fame as 
1 pulpit orator. We will pass rapidly over her girlhood and simply 
state that she spent more or less of her time in teaching school. 
Later on in life she married the Rev. Calvin E. Stowe and entered 
upon her domestic duties with the same energy she had taken up 
all other duties of life. At odd moments she busied herself with 
ber pen. 

She has never been called beautiful, yet her large, dark eyes, 



2 50 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 




and an almost sad expression of countenance, show that the woman 
is no ordinary type. After her marriage she moved near Boston. 
Here she had an opportunity to study the negro character. Here 
she also studied the system of slavery and its influence upon 
master and slave. Her heart was stirred with the tales of wrong 

and sorrow which she heard from those 
who had escaped from the land of 
bondage. The pent-up feelings of her 
heart at last found an outlet. She 
resolved to write and tell what she 
knew of the crimes and horrors of the 
slave system, in a book. "Uncle 
Tom's Cabin " took the public by 
storm. It first appeared in detached 
parts through the medium of a weekly 
newspaper. In April, 1852, it was is- 
sued in two volumes, and in May was 
republished in London. By the close 
Harriet Beecher stowe. of 1 852 morc thanonc milHon copics 

had been sold in America and England. The book has now been 
translated and published in French, German, Italian, Spanish, 
Dutch, Swedish, Flemish, Polish, Russian and other languages. It 
has been dramatized in twenty different forms, and to-day, not only 
in America, but in every capital in Europe, its influence in stamp- 
ing out the dark system of slavery, is beyond all question. Mrs. 
Stowe uttered a voice for humanity and for God that will not soon 
die away. The grass is now green on her grave, but the American 
people will never forget her memory. 

For the benefit of those who may not have read the book, we 
add an extract represented by one of the characters known as 

Eliza. 

ELIZA, the slave mother, concealed in a closet, overhears a 
conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Shelby, and learns that her 
little son has been sold to the trader. The beauty and force of 
the graphic picture that follows must be felt and acknowledged: 
"When the voices died in silence, she rose and crept stealthily 



THE CIVIL WAR. 351 

away. Pale, shivering, with rigid features and compressed Hps, 
she looked an entirely altered being from the soft and timid creature 
she had been hitherto. She moved cautiously along the entry, 
paused one moment at her mistress' door, raised her hands 
in mute appeal to heaven, and then turned and glided into her 
own room. It was a quiet, neat apartment on the same floor with 




Selling Slaves. 

her mistress. There was the pleasant sunny window, where she 
had often sat singing at her sewing; there a little case of books, 
and various little fancy articles arranged by them, the gifts of 
Christmas holidays; there was her simple wardrobe in the closet 
and in the drawers; here was, in short, her home; and, on the 
whole, a happy one it had been to her. But there, on the bed, 
lay her slumbering boy, his long curls falling negligently around 
his unconscious face, his rosy mouth half open, his little fat hands 
thrown out over the bed clothes, and a smile spread like a sun- 
beam over his whole face. 'Poor boy, poor fellow,' said Eliza; 



352 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

'they have sold you; but your mother will save you yet' No tear 
dropped over that pillow; in such straits as these the heart has no 
tears to give — it drops only blood, bleeding itself away in silence." 
Somewhat in advance of her pursuers, Eliza reached a village 
on the bank of the Ohio. Here, to her dismay, she found the 
river swollen to a flood, and filled with floating ice. She had 
been but a short time in the village tavern when "the whole train 
of her pursuers swept by the window, around to the front door. 
A thousand lives seemed to be concentrated in that one moment to 
Eliza. Her room opened by a side door to the river. She caught 
her child, and sprang down the steps toward it. The trader 
caught a full glimpse of her just as she was disappearing down 
the bank; and throwing himself from his horse, and calling loudly 
on Sam and Andy, he was after her like a hound after a deer. 
In that dizzy moment, her feet to her scarce seemed to touch the 
ground, and a moment brought her to the water's edge. Right 
on behind they came; and, nerved with strength such as God 
gives only to the desperate, with one wild cry and flying leap, 
she vaulted sheer over the turbid current by the shore, on to the 
raft of ice beyond. It was a desperate leap, impossible to anything 
but madness and despair. The huge, green fragment of ice on 
which she alighted pitched and creaked as her weight came on 
it; but she staid there not a moment. With wild cries and des- 
perate energy she leaped to another and still another cake, stum- 
bling, leaping, slipping, springing upward again. Her shoes are gone, 
her stockings cut from her feet, while blood marked every step; 
but she saw nothing, felt nothing, till dimly, as in a dream, she 
saw the Ohio side, and a man helping her up the bank." 

The Merrimac and the Monitor. 

IT was the second year of the Civil War that there appeared 
in the ocean, near Fortress Monroe, a vessel known as the 
Merrimac. This had at one time belonged to the United 
States navy, but early in the war had been disabled and 
sunk by the Confederates. Later they conceived the idea of bring- 
ing it to the surface, and after covering the sides and bottom 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



253 



with cast-iron, they used it for fight- 
ing purposes. So successful were 
they in this that in a single brief 
effort it devastated the Cumberland, 
a powerful wooden vessel belonging to 
the navy. 

People everywhere in the North 
were now beginning to wonder what 
could be done to check this monster, 
knowing that with the success she had 
already achieved, she would become 
a powerful enemy. The Navy De- 
partment at Washington had ordered 
built, just previous to this, a turret vessel, with a round tower 
that turned around, which they named the Monitor. All around 
the sides there were guns of immense caliber. When this vessel 
was launched great anxiety was felt by the officers in the navy 




John Ericsson, Designer of the Monitor. 




Battle between the Monitor and Merrimac in Hampton Roads. 

department who knew and appreciated the importance of the 
occasion and the responsibility depending upon this new vessel to 
conquer the Merrimac; possibly not only the Merrimac, but all 
other vessels possessing fighting qualities. Many engineers of the 
day said that this turret vessel would be a failure, but Commo- 
dore Worden had full confidence. Up came the Monitor to attack 
the Merrimac, and really it looked very much like a wasp attack- 
ing an eagle, but bang went her guns, and soon the iron sides of 



254 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



the Merrimac were dented in on all sides, and after four hours' fight- 
ino- she was obliged to surrender. Great was the chagrin and 
disappointment among the Southern people, and equally great 
was the joy of the navy department, as well as all the Union 
soldiers. 

The Monitor, which rendered such valuable service to the 
country, was foundered in a storm off the coast of Cape Hatteras. 



The Capture of New Orleans. 

SITUATED near the mouth of the Mississippi River was the 
old city of New Orleans, in possession of the Confederates. 
Because of the location of the town, at the entrance of so 
large a river, you can readily see how important it was that 
the Unionists should come into possession of the place. General 

Butler had said "New Orleans should 
belong to us, and I am willing to help 
take it," He knew when speaking 
that it was a hard place to attack, 
for the reason that the Confederates 
had two strong forts just outside of 
the mouth of the river, and the channel 
between the forts and the city was 
obstructed with torpedoes, which had 
been scattered here and there. 

General Butler was assisted by 
Admiral Farragut with forty-five ves- 
sels and three hundred and ten guns. After six days' bombard- 
ment of the forts they succeeded in passing them, and sailed up 
the river, then again passed on the way a fleet of Confederate 
gunboats sent out from New Orleans to prevent their approach 
to the city. After much perseverance, the Union fleet finally 
steamed up to the very wharves of the city. You can imagine 
how surprised the citizens were to find that the Unionists had 
passed their forts, their torpedoes and their fleets, and had now 
arrived at their very doors! To say that they were panic-stricken 




General Butler. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



255 



is putting it mildly. They were wild with chagrin and fear, declared 
that they would burn the city, that the Unionists should not have 
their houses, their stores and their wealth. Even the women were 
more persistent in this than the men and looked with indignation 
upon all Union officers whom they met. General Butler felt indeed 
sorry for them, but under no circumstances could he permit the 
Stars and Stripes to be insulted, and forced the whole city to 
yield. Soon a garrison of 1,500 Union soldiers were quartered 
in the metropolis of the South. 




i^m^ 



Colored People Rejoicing. 



Pictures of the Civil War. 



LOOKING back we can see all sorts of pictures of the "Civil 
War;" perhaps the sad was the most prominent. The sus- 
pense in those days was something dreadful; at times letters 
arrived quite regularly from fathers, sons and sweethearts, 
and then there followed the long silence and the great anxiety, 
for when the letters failed, it was generally a sure sign that the 
army was moving. Then a day seemed like an eternity. 



256 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

Then, too, there was a sadder picture even than this — there 
were those who never wrote again, and none returned to tell when, 
or just how, they gave up their lives. When possible a slab was 
erected, and though it frequently marked an unknown grave on it 
could be read, " Here lies one who gave up his life for his country." 

Again, many a soldier left comforts and even luxuries at home, 
and climbed mountains, slept on bare floors, marched for miles 
in a pouring rain and camped all winter in canvas houses. 

Things, too, were generally expensive. Common muslin, now 
ten cents a yard, was then a dollar a yard. Sugar, butter, eggs 
and all kinds of provisions went up so that only those with a big 
fat pocketbook could afford to buy. 

Then there were the handsome uniforms of the officers, to say 
nothing of their handsome faces and figures, the clashing of sabers, 
the jingle of spurs, and the universal expression on every 
soldier's face and in every gesture, to "be merry while we 
may." They had their dinners, their balls, reviews, races, 
cavalcades and a few idle moments. This is the sum and 
substance of many of the pictures which are fast fading from the 
memory of your mother and grandmother to-day. 



T 



Decline and Overthrow of the Confederacy. 

HE war had now continued for over two years. During this 
time the Union forces had lost heavily, so also had the 
Confederates; and on New Year's Day, 1863, Abraham Lin- 
coln issued 

The Proclamation of Emancipation, 

Saying that henceforth no man should own slaves. The negro 
was now free. No one had a right to take him from his friends, 
his wife or his children. This made the Southerners more bitter 
than ever, because it, as you see, destroyed their business. They 
had bought and sold slaves for years just as we to-day buy 
and sell cattle and horses. They had invested their money in 
this business and now it was lost. You can imagine, however, how 
happy the slaves were to find that they were free. They now 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



257 



had the right to work where they pleased and, when it was pos- 
sible for them to save up money sufficient, they could buy a 
farm and work their own places. They could build their own 
little log cabins and raise their families with as much pride and 
pleasure as the whites. They had not heretofore had school 




Negrro Villasre, Georgia. 

privileges and as a result the children had grown up in ignorance, 
but what a change for them now! They went everywhere singing 
their negro songs and dancing with a light-heartedness of which 
we can scarcely conceive. 

If you have, from these pages, formed the impression that 
17 



258 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



the slave masters were always severe and unkind, you have gotten 
the wrong idea, for many of these masters were noble men and in 
many cases the slaves were as loath to leave their masters when 
set free as many of us would be to-day to leave our homes. There 
were, of course, good masters and poor masters. 

You must remember, too, that the Southerners were just as 
honest in their opinion as the Northerners were in theirs. So we 
can well sympathize with the Southern people and drop a tear, 
knowing they did what to them seemed best. They now deter- 
mined to make a desperate effort to carry their side and you will 
read in the following pages what decided steps were taken on both 
sides. 

Ole Abe has gone an' did it, Boys. 



OH, ye niggers come along, 
For I's gvvine to sing a song, 
An' I warn you dat you keep 
it mighty still ; 
But dis darky heard dem say, 
His own self dis berry day, 
Dal Ole Abe had went, an' gone 
and sign'd de bill. 

Chorus. 

Yes, Ole Abe has gone an' did it, 

boys. 
Glory, hallelujerum! 
Ole Abe has gone an' did it, boys, Oh! 
Glory! 
Ole Abe has gone an' did it, boys. 
He's signed de confiscation laws. 
Liberty an' freedom's ours. Oh! Glory! 

Now I tell you by de way, 
Massa Fremont first did say, 
In Missouri, where de bellion was so 
strong, 
Dat de niggers mus' be free, 
But Abe didn't jes agree. 
So he "modify," an' dat we tink was 
wrong. 
But now he's gone, etc. 



Massa Burnside take de view 

Dat de niggers am as true 
As de white folks, or as any oder man; 

So he nebber dribe us back, 

When de hound was on our track, 
An' de Lord stan' by him ebry tijue 
he plan. 

But Ole Abe has gone, etc. 

But McClellan iho'l de way 
Was to hab de niggers stay, 
Diggin' trenches for de rebels, in de 
sun, 
While de Yankee sojers work, 
With de shobel and de dirt, 
When dey ought to use de saber an' de 
gun. 
But Ole Abe has gone, etc. 

Massa Hunter did contend 
Dat de Gober'ment depend 
On de nigger with his pick-ax an' his 
spade; 
But de Yankee boys could fight, 
But dey nebber tink it right 
For to take up diggin' ditches as a 
trade. 
But Old Abe has gone, etc. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



259 



Sharp=Shooters. 

BESIDES soldiers who took part in the various battles, there 
were the people known as "sharp-shooters." They were 
experts who began by shooting at marks and who had by 
long practice learned never to miss a mark. Well, just such 
men as these were employed on both sides during the Civil War. 
There were sharp-shooters among the Unionists and also among 
the Confederates. Their business was to keep a sharp lookout, 
and when armies were encamped near each other, if any enemy 
showed himself in sight, pop would go a gun and that generally 
ended the man. 

John D. Champlain tells this story of sharp-shooting, in his 
history for young folks: 

"One of the most skillful of the Confederate marksmen was 
a large negro, who used to perch himself in a tree and lie there 




Sharp-^Shooters. 



26o STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

all day, firing whenever he saw a chance for a good shot. He 
had in this way killed several Union soldiers, and the sharp- 
shooters had watched a long time for him. At last the Union 
trenches, which were gradually being dug nearer and nearer, ^reached 
a place only about twenty rods from the tree. One morning the 
darky came out early and took his accustomed place in the tree. 
The sharp-shooters might have easily killed him as he came out, 
but they did not want to frighten others who were coming. He 
was followed soon by several Confederate pickets, on whom the 
men fired, killing some and driving the others back. The darky, 
of course, was now ' in a fix, ' or, in other words, was ' up a tree, ' 
for he could not get back without running the risk of being shot. 

'T say, big nigger," called out one of the Union marksmen 
from the trenches, "you'd better come down from there." 

"What for?" he asked. 

• ' I want you as a prisoner. " 

"Not as this chile knows of," he answered. 

"All right. Just as you say," called the marksman. 

In about an hour Mr. Darky, hearing nothing from in .front 
of his tree, concluded that it was safe to take just one peep; so 
he poked his head out far enough to get a look at the Union 
lines. But the sharp-shooter had not taken his eye from the tree 
for an instant, and no sooner did the head appear than he pulled 
the trigger of his rifle. A little pufT of blue smoke — a fiash — the 
whiz of a bullet — and down came the negro to the ground shot 
through the head. 

Siege of Vicksburg. 

NOW that the Government had taken a decided stand, and 
declared "slaves should be free," perhaps it may seem to 
you that the war was at an end, but not so. 

The Unionist had perhaps more hope, and I fancy the 
Confederates had less courage; for don't it always seem to you 
individually, that when you feel you are on the "side of right," 
that victory must come to you in the end? Well, justice does 
govern, and no matter how slowly the wheels move, they, some- 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



201 



how, in time, bring about the good and the truth, no matter how 
hard the struggles against it. 

The lawyer who knows he is on the side of right goes into a 
lawsuit, feeling at the very beginning that victory is his. 

So it was with General Grant when he planned to get full 
possession of the Mississippi River. 

This river belonged to the Confederates except just at the 
mouth, which had been in the possession of the Unionists ever 
since the capture of New Orleans. 




Soldiers in Camp 

"We must fight for this river," said the Confederates. " If the 
Unionists get it, our trade will be cut off — no, it must be ours." 

Just up from New Orleans a little way was the city of Vicks- 
burg. This the Confederates had so strongly fortified that they 
felt no army in the world could take it. 

But, said Grant, "It must become ours." The city was built 
on high bluffs projecting up from the river, and just back were 
marshy lands, filled with fallen trees, into which men and horses 
would sink almost to their ears. 



262 



5 TORIES FROM A MERICA N HIS TOR V. 



Grant knew all this, but brave, dauntless and active, he had 
but to plan his attack, then move with a decision which knew not 
defeat. He proceeded to attack that city, with the assistance of 
Admiral Porter and his fleet of gunboats. The place was sur- 
rounded late in May, and on the 4th of July it was surrendered 
to Grant by General Pemberton, with more than thirty thousand 
Confederate troops. Then the Confederates lost the control of 
the Mississippi River, and were much weakened. 



Battles of Chattanooga and Lookout flountain. 

THE Union soldiers now had possession of nearly all the 
western territory. Chattanooga, a pretty town lying close 
to the border line between Tennessee and Georgia, was the 
only stronghold in the possession of the Confederates. Bragg, 
the Confederate general, knowing that this would be the place 
next attacked, sent for help, and soon he had a large army. As 

a result of the battle, Rosecrans, the 
Union general, was defeated, with a 
loss of 16,000 men. 

Then the Federal Government 
said, "This will never do," and even 
though Rosecrans had been successful 
in battle before this time, he was 
blamed and his command given to 
General Thomas. 

Soon General Hooker and Gen- 
'eral Sherman joined Thomas with 
their brave soldiers. Bragg's army 
was mostly on Lookout Mountain and 
could with field glasses look down and see all the movements 
made by Hooker's men. 

This was a wonderfully fine thing in pleasant weather, but, 
as you know, all days are not pleasant days, and soon there came 
a day of mist. Well, upon the mountains a mist is a hundred 
times worse than it is on the plains or in the valley, so the men 
on the mountain could see nothing but clouds and mist. 




Joseph Hooker. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



263 



The assault began early in the morning. The movements of 
Hooker's men were concealed by the fog, so they went dashing down 
the valley and up the steep mountainside, sweeping everything 
before them. 

The mountain was not strongly defended by the Confederates 



t^i*-'^ 







Vi,Vv> 



^1 iVv 




Battle of Lookout Mountain. 



for the reason of its apparent inaccessibility. The Federal charge 
went to the summit and by two o'clock in the afternoon the National 
Flag was waving above the clouds on Lookout, 

The battle had literally been fought among the clouds or 
above them, as it seemed on this misty day. It was not until the 
sky had cleared that the people below could see that the Confed- 
erates had gone, and Hooker was in possession of the mountain. 



264 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



I 



Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! 

N the prison-cell I sit, thinking, mother dear, of you, 
And our bright and happy home so far away, 
And the tears they fdl my eyes, spite of all that I can do, 

Though I try to cheer my comrades and be gay. 
Chorus. — Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching. 
Cheer up, comrades, they will come; 
Ami l)ene:ith the starry flag we shall breathe the air again 
Ot die Ireeland in our own beloved home. 



•M- 







I 



Libby Prison. 

Andersonville Prison. 

WISH it were possible for me to write the story of the Civil 
War and not be obliged to mention the horrible "prison pens," 
as Libby and Andersonville prisons were wont to be called; 
but I question if the story would be complete without them. 
Whenever an enemy was captured in battle these enemies 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



265 



were called "prisoners of war." In every battle there were 
generally so many killed, so many wounded and so many taken 
prisoners. In 1S63, at Andersonville, Georgia, the Confederates 
built a prison for the purpose of imprisoning the Union soldiers. 
There was also another one at Richmond, Virginia, known as 
Libby Prison, built by the Confederates. In both of these prisons 
there were thousands upon thousands of men imprisoned, and it 




Andersonville Prison. 



is reported that as many as three thousand have died in a single 
month alone at Andersonville as the result of starvation, exposure 
and suffering. Andersonville prison originally contained eighteen 
acres; the next year it was enlarged to twenty-three and one-half 
acres. In the center of this there was a marsh, which left less 
than six square feet to each person. Horrible indeed it was to 
think that upward of thirty thousand men were packed like cattle, 
possibly to die for need of air to breathe, for want of ground on 
which to lie, and from lack of shelter. 



266 5 TORIES FROM AMERICA N HIS TOR Y. 

It has often been said that the Confederate leader, Jefferson 
Davis, was responsible for all this misery, but we venture to say 
there is a great deal laid at his door for which he was not 
responsible. 

In times of war much is said that is mere talk, and it is 
difficult to bear in mind the adage: "Do unto others as you 
would that they should do unto you." Southern writers tell us that 
all these stories regarding Andersonville and Libby prisons are exag- 
gerated or untrue, and that our soldiers received the same rations 
in the prisons that their soldiers did on the battlefield. They 
also say that the healthfulness of the place and the good care 
which the soldiers had is proved by the fact that the death rate 
was very low indeed. 



w 



Battle of Gettysburg. 

E now come to the Battle of Gettysburg — the final great 
battle of the Civil War, and one of the fifteen most 
wonderful battles of the world. It is mentioned in history 
along with those of Marathon and Waterloo, so let us fix 
it firmly in mind. This battle was not greater because the gen- 
erals were any braver, or because more lives were lost, but because 
it turned the tide of popular sentiment in favor of the North. 

To General Meade the glory fairly belongs. The army of the 
Potomac up to this time had had only painful and shameful re- 
verses. At last victory had come! 

Meade's great victory here at Gettysburg and Grant's glorious 
victory at Vicksburg, both occurring on the same day, showed that 
the Confederacy was doomed. To General Lee, the commander 
of the Confederate army, great honor was due, and though re- 
gretful of his defeat, Lee himself must even have been proud of his 
retreat. It will always remain a mystery why he was able to re- 
tire his whole army across the Potomac and thus get out of reach 
of Meade. 

The pursuit reflects but little credit on Meade. He chose a 
longer route, and when he reached the Potomac, Lee had crossed 
six days before him. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



267 



There was a sting in what Lincoln said to Meade shortly 
afterward: "The fruit seemed so ripe, so ready for plucking, that 
it was very hard to lose it." 




Battle of Gettysburg. 



National Cemetery at Gettysburg. 

IN dedicating the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, and speak- 
ing of the dead heroes lying there, Lincoln said, in his address: 
"It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this; 
but in a large sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, 
we cannot hallow this ground. The brave, living and dead, who 
struggled here| have consecrated it far above our power to add or 



268 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we 
say here; but it can never forget what we did here. It is for us, 
the living, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work, which they 
who fought heils have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather 
for us here to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us; 
that from those honored dead we take increased devotion to that 
cause for which they gave the full measure of devotion; that we 
here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; 




Entrance to Gettysburg Cemetery. 

that this Nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, 
and that a government of the people, by the people, and for the 
people, shall not perish from the earth." 

Senator Mason, in a recent speech, said: "Let us, in imita- 
tion of lihis great example, honor the soldiers, living and dead, 
who made it possible for Lincoln to succeed. Let us not bar 
them from our civil-service lists because they are weighted with 
years. Let us honor the copper button and him who wears it on 




Decoration Day, Gettysburg, a Tribute to the Memory of the Blue and tha Gray. 26y 



270 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

the left lapel of his coat. Let us not withhold from him the 
honors of life, nor refuse him shelter and bread, that we may go 
through the ceremony of planting flowers on his grave. Let us 
give homes to the living and honors to the dead. Rather let the 
money of the government be sunk in the sea than to have a Union 
soldier homeless and shelterless, holding in his hands the broken 
promises of Abraham Lincoln." 

The Alabama and the Kearsarge. 

THE Alabama was an English built ship. Her crew was 
mostly English, but commanded by Confederates. She had 
belonged to England until one Sunday morning in August, 
1862, when the Confederate flag was hoisted above the 
decks and her name changed from Enrica to Alabama. 

At this time, she was three miles from the Azore Islands. 
From that time on, she became a destroyer to all American ves- 
sels belonging to the merchants of the New England states. 

Captain Semmes read a commission to the crew which he 
had received from Jefferson Davis, appointing him Captain of 
the Confederate Navy. He then made a speech and told all the 
men who desired to return to England to do so, but if they pre- 
ferred to remain with him, on board the Kearsarge, there would 
be plenty of excitement and adventure; that there would be no 
end of plunder, and that prize money would be paid them in 
gold. 

So off the Azores the Alabama began her daring career. 
Here she destroyed nearly all the whaling vessels; then she started 
west to burn the steamers carrying grain from New York to 
Liverpool. 

The Alabama feared nothing, but went on in her work of 
destroying and plundering, until one day when off the coast of 
Holland, the crew beheld the Kearsarge, another American 
vessel which was at the opening of the war a merchant vessel, 
but whose crew had enlisted to defend their country. Captain 
Winslow was her Commander. 

. Four days passed, and in the meantime Semmes was getting 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



271 



ready for battle. He sent all his valuable articles on shore, — 
watches, gold, etc., which he had plundered. 

What lively news! The town of Cherbourg, France, was 
wild with excitement — there was a battle which everybody could see. 

Semmes arid his crew were confident that the Alabama 
would come out victorious; Captain Winslow was not boastful, 
but had only one thought in mind, that he would go to the bot- 



"^- 





VV/I 






Fight Between Alabama and Kearsarge. 

torn of the sea before he would surrender the Kcarsargc to the 
Alabama. 

Both vessels were about the same size. Guns were about 
the same, so it was hard to tell which side would win the battle. 

It was Sunday morning at ten o'clock. The hour for relig- 
ious service had arrived, and Captain Winslow was ready to read 



27^ 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



the morning prayers, when up came the Alabama ready for battle. 

There are moments when men hold their breath! Such a 
moment had come to the crew of the Kcarsarge. What a 
scene on land! Thirty thousand men and women and children 
had come out to see the battle. 

Need we say that the Alabama was soon seen sinking — 
lower it settled — Captain Semmes with a life-preserver on jumped 
into the sea, and his crew followed his example. Then it was 
that Captain Winslow said, "For God's sake, do what you can 
to save them!" 

Think you he was not a worthy man fit to defend his country? 



I 



Stonewall Jackson. 

F there was one general more than all the others whom the 
Union soldiers had learned to fear, it was "Stonewall" Jack- 
son. 

It matters little who his ancestors were. It is only proper 
that Virginia, who gave to the war General Robert Lee, of an old 

and wealthy family, should furnish Jack- 
son as the representative of its people. 
He was left an orphan at the age of 
three years, and by degrees rose to be 
one of the greatest generals America has 
5$$;^^ ^^tBBWk -^^^ ever seen. It is an interesting study to 

follow his successive steps. He never 
sought promotion. 

It is said that in face and figure he 
was not striking; above average height, 
with frame angular, muscular and fiesh- 
less. He was, in all his movements, from 
riding a horse to handling a pen, the most ungraceful man in the 
army. His expression was generally clouded by an air of fatigue, 
but the eye, when in repose, was gentle. His face in the home 
when softened by a smile was far different from that on the bat- 
tlefield. 

Jackson had been the very life of the Confederate army, and 




stonewall Jackson. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



273 



it was when assisting Lee in the battle of Fredericksburg that he 
lost his life. All day long the battle had raged, and just at its 
close he was hurrying toward a company of his own men when 
they mistook him for a Union man and fired upon him. He was 

terribly wounded, and the shot that 
struck him crippled both armies of the 
Confederacy. At first it was believed 
his wounds were not serious, and the 
people thought, in the language of Lee, 
''Jackson will not, cannot die.'' But 
God willed it otherwise. Sunday after- 
,: noon he closed his eyes and smiled at 
his own spoken dream, "Let us cross 
over the river and rest under the shade 
of the trees." 

To Jackson's life all paid tribute. 
In this tribute there was no North, no South. Coming across the 
sea, a friend planted on his grave at Lexington a sprig of laurel 
brought from the grave of Napoleon, a most fitting token — a 
beautiful thought that the greatest general of the Old World 
should welcome to immortality the most brilliant soldier of the 
new. The loss of Stonewall Jackson was a death-blow to Lee 
and the Confederate cause. 

Grant as Lieutenant=General. 




PRESIDENT LINCOLN now saw that it needed a man at 
the head of the Army who could not only organize and 
discipline, but could make plans and carry them into execu- 
tion. So after thinking the matter over, he decided that 
Grant, who had made a considerable stir in the west, was his 
choice as General-in-chief of all the armies of the Republic. 
Grant realized his responsibility. He at once went to Washington 
City so as to vie with President Lincoln as to action, then went 
to work with a will and after visiting and examining each army 
knew what he could count upon and resob.ed to deal two deadly 
blows — one on Atlanta and one on Richmond. ^Accordingly at two 
18 



274 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 




U. S. Military Wagon. 

separate places he concentrated two powerful armies — one was to 
move toward Atlanta under General Sherman and the other 
«oward Richmond under General Meade. 
Now let us read how they came out. 



Sherman's March to the Sea. 
« 

ONE of the most interesting events of the Civil War was 
what is known as Sherman's March to the Sea, according 
to a plan laid out by Grant. General ' Sherman with a 
hundred thousand men marched toward Atlanta. 
This city before the war was an important railroad center. 
It had a large population, and had extensive rolling mills, machine 
shops and foundries where guns, shot, shell and cartridges were 
made under the direction of the Confederate government. The 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



275 



town during the war became even more prosperous than before, 
so you can see that if the Union army could get in possession of 
Atlanta, it would prove a hard blow to the Confederacy. 

The Confederates under General Johnston said "No; they 
cannot have Atlanta;" and the utmost effort was put forth to make 




General W. T. Sherman. 



Atlanta secure, but all to no avail; on September 2d Atlanta was 
occupied by Sherman's army and on the 14th of November he 
burned the city and set out on his famous march, with sixty 
thousand men still remaining, to the sea. 

On leaving Atlanta, he plunged first into a thick forest, then 
came out and either destroyed or captured everything on his 
route. On reaching Charleston, after thirty-eight days' tramping, 



2 76 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



he had lost but five hundred and sixty-seven men, and conquered 
everything along the route. 








Now for Richmond. 

N to Richmond had been the intention of the army of the 
Potomac ever since it was organized, but for some reason 
it had never succeeded in 
capturing the city and 

driving out the Confederates. 

"Now," thought Grant, "our 

time has come. I will have 

the Army of the Potomac pull 

together and work with but one 

object in view, that is to conquer Lee's army at Richmond and 

get in possession of the Confederate capital." 

Evacuation of Richmond. 

ON and on, day after day, they pegged away. Grant kept 
Lincoln posted aa to his movements, and on one occasion 
sent a telegram saying, '' I propose to fight it out on this 
line if it takes all summer. " These words, like many others 
spoken in the same earnestness during the war, have become 
immortal. 

Aftef several months' skirmishing and fighting, Lee telegraphed 
to Jefferson Davis to leave the city at once. It was Sunday 
morning. Davis was at church; after reading the telegram he got 
up quietly and passed oiit. Soon, however, it became known 
that Richmond was lost to the Confederates. 

Sheridan's Ride. 

(For Concert Reading. ) 

UP from the South,' at break of Like a herald in haste to the chieftain's 
day, door. 

Bringing to Winchester fresh The terrible grumble and rumble and 
dismay, roar. 

The affrighted air with a shudder Telling the battle was on once more, 

bore, And Sheridan twenty miles away 




Battle of ChancellorsvHie, Jackson Attacking Right Wing. 



8/7 



278 



5 TORIES FROM AMERICA N HIS 7 OR V. 



And wider still those billows of war 
Thundered along the horizon's bar, 
And louder yet into Winchester rolled 
The roar of that red sea, uncontrolled, 
Making the blood of the listener cold 
As he thought of the stake in that fiery 

fray, 
And Sheridan twenty miles away. 




p. H. Sheridan. 

But there is a road to Winchester town, 
A good, broad highway, leading down ; 
And there, through the flush of the 

morning light, 
A steed, as black as the steeds of night. 
Was seen to pass as with eagle flight; 
As if he knew the terrible need, 
He stretched away with his utmost 

speed. 
Hill rose and fell ; but his heart was 

gay, 
With Sheridan fifteen miles away. 

Still sprung from those swift hoofs, 

thundering south, 
The dust, like the smoke from the 

cannon's mouth. 
Or the trail of a comet, sweeping faster 

and faster, 
Forboding to traitors the doom of 

disaster; 



The heart of the steed and the heart of 

the master 
Were beating like prisoners assaulting 

their walls. 
Impatient to be where the battle-field 

calls. 
Every nerve of the charger was strained 

to full play. 
With Sheridan only ten miles away. 

Under his spurning feet the road 
Like an arrowy Alpine river flowed; 
And the landscape sped away behind 
Like an ocean flying before the wind; 
Swept on with his wild eyes full of 

fire. 
And the steed, like a b?.rk fed with 

furnace fire. 
But lo! he is nearing his heart's 

desire ; 
He is snuffing the smoke of the roaring 

fray. 
With Sheridan only five miles away. 

The first that the (leneral saw were the 

groups 
Of stragglers, and then the retreating- 
troops. 
What was done — what to do — a glance 

told him both; 
Then striking his spurs, with a terrible 

oath. 
He dashed down the line, 'mid a storm 

of huzzas. 
And the wave of retreat checked his 

course there, because 
The sight of the master compelled it 

to pause. 
With foam and with dust the black 

charger was gray. 
By the flash of his eye, and his red 

nostril's play. 
He seemed to the whole great army to 

say: 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



279 




Sheridan's Ride. 



" I have brought you Sheridan all the 

way 
From Winchester down to save you the 

day!" 

Hurrah, hurrah for Sheridan! 
Hurrah, hurrah, for horse and man! 
And when their statues are placed on 

high, 
Vnder the dome of the Union sky — 



The American soldier's Temple of 

Fame, — 
There, with the glorious General's 

nan^e. 
Be it said in letters, both bold and 
bright: 
"Here is the steed that saved the day 
By carrying Sheridan into the fight. 
From Winchester, twenty miles 
away !" ' 

T. Buchanan Reed. 



2 8o 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Lee's Surrender. 



THE great Civil War which was begun on April 12th, 1861, 
when the first Confederate shot was fired against Fort Sumter, 
was now drawing rapidly to a close. The backbone of the 
Confederacy was broken. Lee, the greatest Confederate 
general still living, with his large army, was yet to be conquered. 
Lee had defeated the Union soldiers so many times that he began 
to think his own army was equal to anything. And well he might, 
for he had defeated at different times four of the greatest generals 

which the Union army had. His re- 
treat, after being driven from Rich- 
mond, was conducted with wonderful 
skill, and the experience which he had 
had in the past encouraged-him to ln)pe 
for the best. In starting out he was 
in excellent spirits, expecting to re- 
ceive plenty of rations on his journey. 
He had started out with only pro- 
visions enough to last a single day, 
^ and you can imagine his surprise, to 
' ' say nothing of the disappointment, to 
find that these had l;een cut off. His 
men were famishing, and it was impossible to proceed until sup- 
plies were obtained from the surrounding country. This delay 
robbed Lee of the advantages he had gained in the start, and 
proved the ruin of all his plans. 

On the other side, the Union armies were strong and cheerful. 
The Government had plenty of money to meet all necessity. The 
combined forces and location of Grant, Sheridan and Meade's 
armies enabled Grant to take in the situation at once. "Lee is 
caught," he said, "it will be hard work for him to get away." 
Lee was not only cut off from his main line of retreat, but was 
overtaken by vastly superior numbers of the enemy. Lee's entire 
force of dispirited and hungry men did not exceed 20,000, while 
Sheridan alone had an excellent force of 18,000 men. Both Lee's 
men and horses were sinking from sheer exhaustion. Thousands 




General Lee. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



281 



had let their muskets fall from pure inability to carry them. There* 
are few battles where the horrors of the march could possibly 
equal these, so when Grant wrote asking Lee on what terms he 

would surrender, we quote here his reply: 

"April 7th, 1865. 

'•'■General: I have received your note of this date. Though not entertaining 
the opinion you express of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the, 
Army of Northern Virginia, I reciprocate your desire to avoid useless effusion of 
blood, and, therefore, before considering your proposition, ask the terms you will 
offer on condition of its surrender, R. E. Lee, General. 

" Lieut. -General U. S. Grant." 




House Where Lee Surrendered. 

Two other letters passed between them and finally April 9th, 

General Grant wrote the following letter: 

"April 9th, 1865. 

'■'■General: Your note of yesterday is just received. As I have no authority to 

treat on the subject of peace, the meeting proposed for 10 a. m. to-day could lead 



282 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



to no good. I will state, however, General, that I am equally anxious for peace 
with yourself; and the whole North entertain the same feeling. The terms upon 
which peace can be had are well understood. By the South laying down their 
arms, they will hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, 
and hundreds of millions of property not yet destroyed. Sincerely hoping that 
all our difificulties may be settled without the loss of another life, I subscribe my- 
self, U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General. 
"General R. E. Lee." 

After the terms of surrender were made and the papers signed, 
Lee remarked to Grant that he had forgotten one thing. It was 
this, many of the cavalry and artillery horses belonged to the men 






":^®?^B*%'' 






(f'PC ■.ili'/'''',:^'' \ i 



Grant's Early Home. 

who had charge of them. "It is too late, however," he said, "to 
speak of that now. " Grant replied, ' ' I will instruct my officers 
that all the enlisted men of your cavalry and artillery who own 
horses are to retain them just as the officers do theirs. They will 
need them for their spring plowing and other farm work." Lee 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



283 



seemed greatly pleased and said in reply, "There is nothmg which 
you could have accomplished more for the good of the people, or 
of the Government." Grants terms were liberal. He will not only 



••■*i*^fii' 




Grant's Tomb, New York. 

live in history as a great soldier, but he will be honored as a high- 
souled hero in the hour of victory. , , , ,. , n 

Lee then rode back to his soldiers and bade them farewell 
It is said that whole lines of battle rushed up to their beloved 
general, and with choking emotion wrung his hand. Hard as it was 



iU STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

for the soldiers, and hard as it must have been for the whole 
Southern Confederacy, it is still a pleasure to know that their 
leading general possessed such tenderness, unselfishness and honor. 
With tears rolling down both his cheeks, General Lee replied to 
his soldiers, saying, ' ' Men, we have fought through the war to- 
gether. I have done the best I could for you." 
The war was now practically over. 

The Swords of Grant and Lee. 

'•''Fame Hath Crowned with Laurel the Swords of Grant and Lee." 



M 



ETHINKS to-night I catch a gleam of steel among the pines, 
And yonder by the lilied stream repose the foemen's lines; 
The ghostly guards who pace the ground a moment stop to see 
If all is safe and still around the tents of Grant and Lee. 



'Tis but a dream; no armies camp where once their bay 'nets shone; 

And Hesper's calm and lovely lamp shines on the dead alone; 

A cricket chirps on yonder rise beneath a cedar tree 

Where glinted 'neath the summer skies the swords of Grant and Lee. 

Forever sheathed those famous blades that led the eager van! 
They shine no more among the glades that fringe the Rapidan; 
To-day their battle work is done, go draw them forth and see 
That not a stain appears upon the swords of Grant and Lee. 

The gallant men who saw them flash in comradeship to-day 
Recall the wild, impetuous dash of val'rous blue and gray; 
And 'neath the flag that proudly waves above a Nation free, 
They oft recall the missing braves who fought with Grant and Lee. 

They sleep among the tender grass, they slumber 'neath the pines. 
They're camping in the mountain pass where crouched the serried lines; 
They rest where loud the tempests blow, destructive in their glee — 
The men who followed long ago the swords of Grant and Lee. 

Their graves are lying side by side where once they met as foes, 
And where they in the wildwood died springs up a blood-red rose; 
O'er them the bee on golden wing doth flit, and in yon tree 
A gentle robin seems to sing to them of Grant and Lee. 

To-day no strifes of sections rise, to-day no shadows fall 
Upon our land, and 'neath the skies one flag waves over all; 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



285 



The Blue and Gray as comrades stand, as comrades bend the knee, 
And ask God's blessings on the land that gave us Grant and Lee. 

So long as Southward, wide and clear, Potomac's river runs. 
Their deeds will live because they were Columbia's hero sons: 
So long as bend the Northern pines, and blooms the orange tree, 
The swords will shine that led the lines of valiant Grant and Lee. 



Methinks I hear a bugle blow, methinks I hear a drum; 
And there, with martial step and slow, two ghostly armies come; 
They are the men who met as foes, for 'tis the dead I see, 
And side by side in peace repose the swords of Grant and Lee. 

Above them let Old Glory wave, and let each deathless star 
Forever shine upon the brave who lead the ranks of war; 
Their fame resounds from coast to coast, from mountain top to sea; 
No other land than ours can boast the swords of Grant and Lee! 



Abraham Lincoln and the Hospital at Richmond. 

ONE of the first Northern women who entered the beleagured 
city of Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, after its 
evacuation, was a nurse. She tells us that while the people 
of the North were celebrating with guns, brass bands and 
bright colored bunting; and while the inhabitants were intoxicated 
with joy, the battle-field presented quite another picture. 

It was one vast hospital of suffering humanity. As far as 
the eye could reach, the plains were dotted 
with tents, which were being rapidly filled 
with wounded men, Northern and South- 
ern, white and black, without distinction. 
Army surgeons and volunteer physicians 
kept sleeplessly at work; hospital nurses, 
laden with comforts for the sick, passed to 
and fro; and amidst them all strode the 
tall, gaunt figure of Abraham Lincoln, his 
moistened eyes even more eloquent than 
the lips which had a kindly word of cheer 
for every sufferer. When asked how lono[ 

William H. Seward, . '' . ^ 

Secretary of State. he mtcndcd to rcmam, he replied, "lam 




286 STORTES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

like a Western pioneer who built a log cabin. When he com- 
menced he didn't know how much timber he would need, and 
when he had finished he didn't care how much he had used up," 
and then added with a merry laugh, "so you see I came down 
among you without any definite plans, and when I go home I 
shan't regret a moment I have spent with you." 

The Ford Theatre Tragedy. 

ON the morning of the 3rd of April, 1865, it was announced 
by telegraph that the Union army had entered Richmond; 
that Lee was in full retreat, pursued by Grant; and that 
President Lincoln had gone to the front. No pen can 
describe the joy with which these tidings were received. The war 
was over; slavery was dead; and the Union, cemented in freedom, 
was stronger than ever before. 

But what follows; Lincoln's life had been constantly threatened. 
His friends urged him to practice caution; but this was so con- 
trary to his nature that he could not be persuaded to do so. He 
walked the streets of Washington unattended. 

To assist in drawing a crowd, it was announced that on the 
14th of April, in company with General Grant, President Lincoln 
would attend a play given at Ford's Theatre. This naturally called 
a crowd. General Grant left the city. President Lincoln, feeling, 
with his characteristic kindliness of heart, that it would be a dis- 
appointment if he should fail them, reluctantly consented to go. 
With his wife and two friends he arrived in due time and took 
his seat in a box reserved for the occasion. The whole audience 
arose and greeted him with the greatest enthusiasm. 

As the President was listening to the play an actor by the 
name of John Wilkes Booth worked his way through the crowd, 
and, reaching the door of the box, fired a bullet into his brain. 
The assassin leaped upon the stage, rushed across it, mounted a 
fleet horse at the door and escaped. 

In the twinkling of an eye, without a moment to say a prayer, 
the great soul of Lincoln, the lover of liberty, stood in the pres- 
ence of his Maker. He was carried to a private residence across 




Review of the Soldiers at Close of War 



288 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

the street, and at 7:00 o'clock the next morning breathed his last. 

Then came the most remarkable demonstration the world has 
ever seen at the death of one man. The bells that had been 
ringing the glad tidings of freedom and victory changed their ring 
to the sad and solemn tolling of a requiem for the dead. Men 
who had cursed him admitted their fault, and joined with his 
friends in mourning. The slave, who had just lifted his voice in 
the song of liberty, stopped in fear and trembling, wondering 
whether the shackles would not again be placed upon him. Every 
civilized nation in the world hastened with its national condolences 
to testify to the worth of Lincoln. It was as though a death had 
come in every family. Business was suspended; the noise of 
trade was stopped; the children upon the school grounds said 
softly to each other: "He is dead." The liags were at half 
mast over the land; the drums were mufifled in a thousand camps; 
the highest ofhcer and the poorest private repeated the words again 
and again: ■ "Our President is dead." 

Thirty-two years have now passed, and in the words of Mason 
let us proclaim: "Lincoln still lives. He is not dead. Every slave 
that holds an unfettered wrist will tell you that Lincoln, the 
emancipator, is not dead. His dust may rest under the towering 
monument at Springfield, but he is not there. See! the stars of 
your flag are all there; he who kept them there is not dead. See 
again! under the flag there are no slaves; he who made this true can 
never die. Lincoln is not dead. Every pulsation of his heart, every 
ambition of his soul, every word that fell from his lips, every great 
deed, from the simplest act of kindness to an animal to the 
emancipation of the slave, are all proofs to us of his immortality." 

Peace and Reconciliation. 

RT. REV. GEORGE DAVID CUMMINS, D. D. 

PEACE at last closes a long and desolating Civil War — a war 
between men of one blood, one ancestry, one religion, one 
heritage of blessings, between the citizens of one great 
republic, whose fathers labored and fought together to secure 
to them a priceless inheritance. History will record it as among 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



289 



the most memorable conflicts ever waged upon the face of the earth ; 
memorable for the vast number of men enlisted, the wide extent 
of territory over which it was fought, and for the valor and heroism 
displayed on either side. What were the wars of York and Lan- 
caster, of Puritan and Royalist, of Huguenot and Romanist, by 




General John A. Logfan, Pounder of the Grand Army of the Republic. 

the side of this? That mighty struggle, whose issues at times 
were so dark and uncertain, has ended in a peace which secures 
the integrity of the nation as a unit, and restores the Union of 
the States, making us one undivided republic. Who can doubt 
that the decision is of God, and that he who permitted the hind to be 
scourged for four years by his sore judgment has ordained that 
we shall remain one people, with one country and one destiny? 
If so, and if our national IJnion is to be anything more than a 



290 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

hollow truce, leaving behind it hearts estranged and alienated, 
there is a work yet to be done by us more difficult than any 
triumph of arms upon the battlefield. That work is the work of 
restoring harmony among hearts, unity of soul, of overcoming 
enmity and prejudice, of healing the wounds which have been 
torn asunder; it is the work not only of making "peace on earth," 
but "good-will among men." 

I speak for American hearts to-day, when I say that we do 
not desire a Union which is held together alone by force, and 
which must be perpetuated by standing armies. We desire a 
Union which shall be cemented as of old — nay, better than of 
old; with stronger and more enduring bonds, by ties of brother- 
hood, by bonds of religion, by fellowship in Christ, by common 
sympathies, common aims, common aspirations, and a common 
love of a common country. 

Can this ever be realized in this land? Many have thought 
it impossible after the experience of the last four years, and that 
it is vain to hope for such a result! But they who so contend 
have read history to but little purpose. Not more surely does 
nature repair the desolation of a battlefield, covering the spot 
where the heavy cannon wheels and the hoofs of horses and the 
feet of ten thousand infuriated men made a wilderness with a 
beautiful carpet of grass, than does time, by a thousand genial 
and kindly influences, heal the feuds which a civil war has engen- 
dered. Nay, startling as the proposition may sound to some, 
history proves that the passions and hates and feuds of inter- 
national wars are those which are most permanent, most lasting; 
while the passions of civil war are ever most fugitive, most easily 
obliterated. 

Such is the teaching of history, and such the cheering pros- 
pect before us. We need not refer the work of^ reconciliation to 
another generation. God gives to us the high privilege of accom- 
plishing this work. Already has that good work begun with most 
auspicious tokens. 



PART VII, 

Peace and Prosperity. 




Johnson's Administration. 

HEN the President dies the Vice-President takes 
^ his place, and so the Government goes right on. 
Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, was Vice-Presi 
dent; and on the day when Mr, Lincoln died Mr. 
Johnson became the President of the republic. 

The National Government now made ready 
to restore all things to a good condition. 

The supreme law was made that equal rights 
were secured to all citizens. Slavery has been done away with 
forever in our beloved country. American citizens of every kind 
have now equal rights before the law. 

Jefferson Davis, the leader of the 
great rebellion, which had cost half a 
million of precious lives and thousands of 
millions of money, tied from Richmond, 
and a heavy sum of money was offered 
for his capture. He was finally overtaken 
in Georgia, while fleeing for shelter to a 
swamp, disguised, so as to 
avoid being detected. 

He was afterwards 

taken by Union troops to 

Pa"rt oTontTerm7;l6l:;l6'^: Fortrcss Monroc and in- 



dieted for treason. Pending his trial he was re- ^P"' ' 
leased on bonds, his chief bondsman being Horace Horace areeiey. 

291 





292 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 




Jefferson Davis. 

Greeley, the founder of the New York Tribune, and an intense 
sympathizer of the North. Mr. Greeley welcomed the opportunity 
to render this assistance to Mr. Davis, and when criticised for his 
action, made use of that famous phrase: "Let us by this act shake 
hands across the bloody chasm which has separated the North and 
South." 

Thus ended the political career of Mr. Davis, a man idolized 
by the South, and to-day regarded by his one-time opponents as 
one of earnestness, intelligence, ability, and pure motive, yet mis- 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 293 

led by the teachings of slavery and a doctrine of State rights. 
He died at his home in Mississippi, December 6th, 1889, his body 
rests at Richmond, Va., and is one of the sacred spots of the 
lost cause. 

The Atlantic Cable. 

THE summer of 1866 was made memorable by the laying of 
the Atlantic Cable which extends from New York to Liver- 
pool. This was the second one completed. The first one 
laid in 1858 had failed after a few weeks' operation, but 
Cyrus W. Field never gave up or never abandoned his enterprise. Af- 
ter many discouragements fame and success joined him hand in 
hand and as a result to-day we are in communication with the 
entire world, and so perfect is the system that even though Lon- 
don is thousands of miles away, we read in the morning papers 
events that occurred there only last evening. Mr. Field received 
from Congress a gold medal and the appreciation of the entire 
world. 

Alaska. 

BY looking on your map, you will notice way off to the ex- 
treme Northwest of America lies a large tract of -land 
called Alaska. In 1865 a party of explorers from the 
United States went there with a view of establishing tele- 
graphic communication with Asia. Instead of finding a worthless 
country as people had formerly believed, they found .the largest 
and finest pine and cedar forests of the world. Not only this but 
they saw it afforded grand opportunities for seal fishing. So 
Congress said "How I wish we could own Alaska." She belonged 
to Russia and here lived about thirty thousand people, mostly 
Eskimos. Then negotiations for the purchase of the country 
was opened up and in March, 1867, a treaty was concluded be- 
tween Russia and the United States, by which we were to pay 
seven million two hundred thousand dollars for an area of five 
hundred and eighty thousand square miles. 

Alaska, in a very few years, from seal fishing alone, has 



294 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 




Alaska Seals. 



yielded enough profit to the Government to make good all which 
"Uncle Sam" paid for her. 



Grant's Administration. 

SUCH was the condition of our country on the 4th of March, 
1869, when Ulysses S. Grant, the eminent soldier during the 
Civil War, whom the people had chosen to be President of 
the Republic, was inaugurated. 

The great railway communication which extends across the 
continent between the two great oceans, the Atlantic and Pacific, 
known as the Pacific Railroad, was completed. 

President Grant's first term of office ended in March, 1873. 
The people had been prosperous. The Union had been 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



295 



politically restored. Claims against Great 
Britain growing out of events of the Civil 
War had been settled, A large amount 
of the public debt had been paid, the taxes 
had been reduced, and all of our foreign 
relations were satisfactory. In the autumn 
of 1S72 President Grant was re-elected, and 
he began his second term on March 4, 

1873. 

For six months in 1876 there was a 
"Centennial Exhibition " in Philadelphia, 
in which were seen productions of the in- 
dustry of more than thirty nations. About 10,000,000 people visited 
it. About this time came the great Indian war of the West. 




Ulysses S. Grant— 1822=1885. 




Horticultural Hall, Philadelphia. 



The Sioux War of 1876. 

EVER since the white man first landed in America, the 
various tribes of Indians have felt that they were being 
gradually driven from their homes. The Sioux, a fierce 
Nation of the West, had in 1868 agreed with the Govern- 
ment to relinquish all territory except a large reservation in 
South-western Dakota, to which place they promised to retire by 



296 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

January ist, 1876. In the meantime gold was discovered in the 
Black Hills which was within the limits of the Indian Reserva- 
tion. The treaty between the Indians and the whites was not 
strong enough to keep the avaricious white gold diggers and ad- 
venturers out of the region. This, as you see, gave the Indians 
an excuse for breaking over their boundary and roaming at large. 
They also considered it an excuse for the many bad deeds and 
depredations which they committed in Wyoming and Montana. 

This state of affairs continued until June, 1876, when the 
Government determined to drive them back upon their reserva- 
tion. At this time the Indians numbered several thousand and 
were led by their Chieftain, Sitting Bull, who had the elements 
of a great warrior. Probably no tribe has ever had a more 
superior leader. In war he possessed a bravery unknown, and 
combined strategy with cruelty. 

He saw that a terrible battle must soon be fought, so with 
excellent judgment selected a point surrounded by what is known 
as the "bad lands," but kept his supply source open with the 
Canadian French. This he could easily do, for shortly before he 
had professed to become converted to Christianity and had joined 
a church in Canada. The government decided to send out three 
expeditions, each to move in a different direction. One of these 
was under General Custer who was supposed to "strike the 
blow." Unfortunately no instructions were given as to how many 
miles each division should travel .per day. So Custer arrived 
first, being noted for his quick movements, having made ninety miles 
in the first three days. He soon found the Indians in large 
numbers, and deemed it best to divide his command in three 
divisions, one of which he placed under Major Reno, another 
under Major Benteen, and led the other himself. 

The Massacre of Custer's Army. 

WHILE Custer was making a detour to enter the village, 
Reno attacked a body of Indians, who, after retreating 
almost three miles, turned on his troops and drove them 
into the woods. Benteen came up to help Reno, but he, 
too, became frightened and slid out without striking the enemy. 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



297 



So it happened that the brave, undaunted General Custer with his 
noble heroes rushed down alone upon the Indian village. 

Picture if you can that tall, graceful man with courage in his 
eye, galloping right into the very jaws of death. He hoped against 

hope. There were 
five thousand deadly 
rifl e s pouring shot 
like hail into their 
midst. Custer 
peered through the 
smoke for Reno and 
Benteen, thinking all 
the time "They will 
come yet." With 
cheery Vk^ords from 
their commander on 
the troops fought 
until onl y a, dozen 
were left. Then 
down went Custer 
like a strong oak 
shattered by a light- 
ning's bolt. He 
partly rose and, after 
fatally striking three 
more Indians and breaking his sword on the fourth, fell back upon 
the dead and wounded with a broken blade and an empty pistol. 
Thus he died with the thought of having done his best. To-day 
the blessings of a grateful country are upon his memory. When 
the news was learned, soldiers everywhere made a pilgrimage to 
the sacred spot and loving hands there reared a pyramid of bones 
in commemoration of the event, which stands amid sunshine and 




General Custer. 



shower, overlooking]; the 



Little Big 



Horn. This occurred on the 



25th of June, 1876. 

Soon other detachments were sent to the scene of war, and 
finally, on the 6th of January, 1877, the remnant of the Sioux tribe 
was routed out by General Miles. The remaining bands made 




Custer's Last Charge. 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



299 



their escape into Manitoba. There they remained until fall, when 
terms of peace were proposed to Sitting Bull, but not until three 
years later did they return to their reservation in Dakota. 



Hayes' Administration. 

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nine- 
teenth President of the United States, 
did much to allay sectional feeling, 
and gave promise of a speedy restora- 
tion of cordial feelings between the people 
of the North and South. 

The taxes were diminished, and many ^-4 
millions of dollars of the public debt paid. 
By a reduction in the rate of interest, mil- 
lions of dollars were annually saved. 

In the fall of 1880, General James A. 
Garfield was elected President of the United '^"^•'^■^«''' ^s.'^ZlV^""^"'' 
States, and Chester A. Arthur was chosen Vice-President. 




The Burning of Chicago. 

yl LL who read this book must, at sometime, have realized what a 
/ \ dreadful thing is a fire. Perhaps you have heard debating 
X Jl clubs discuss the subject "which can do the greatest dam- 
age, fire or water?" Well, I fancy that the people who lived 
in Chicago on the evening of October 8th, in the year 187 1, 
thought that fire could do the greatest damage. 

How the Chicago fire started is hard to tell, yet it is gen- 
erally supposed to have broken out in the barn of a Mrs. O'Leary, 
who resided in the north part of the city. She was at the time 
milking a cow. Near by stood her lantern. The perverse cow for 
some reason gave a kick, over went the lantern and soon the barn 
was ablaze. This occurred at the time of an extreme drouth; the 
city, as well as the surrounding country, was parched. Flames 
spread from barn to house, from house to shops and thence to 
lumber yards, and soon the whole city was in flames. All that 



300 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



night and the next day, the deluge of fire rolled on; springing 
even across the river, sweeping everything before it. The area 
burned was three and a third square miles. About two hundred 




Burning- of Chicago. 

lives were lost and property destroyed to the amount of two hun- 
dred millions of dollars. Never had there been such a fire except 
the burning of Moscow. The ravaged district was the greatest 
ever swept over by fire in a city, the amount of property was 
second in value, and the suffering occasioned third among the 
great conflagrations of the world. Never before did a like dis- 
aster serve to bring out the noble qualities of a civilization. 
Money, provisions and assistance of all kinds poured in from every 
part of the United States to assist those in distress. 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



301 



Garfield's Administration. 

JAMES A. GARFIELD, the twentieth 
President of the United States, was in- 
augurated on March 4, 1881. He had 
agreed to treaties with several foreign 
nations about various public matters, and 
was carrying on the government well, when, 
on the 2d of July, he was shot by a half- 
crazy man at Washington. He lived until 
September 19th, when he died. 

Everybody mourned President Gar- 
field's death. Queen Victoria, the King of 

o • J ^1 1 • T? J James A. Garfield— i83i"iS8i 

bpam and other rulers m Europe expressed 

their sorrow. When Garfield died, Vice-President Arthur became 

President of the United States. 




1881. 




Garfield's Struggle with Death. 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



303 



Arthur's Administration. 



/t RTHUR'S administration was a pros- 

j\ perous and satisfactory one. The 

I Y taxes and the pubHc debt continually 

decreased, and the country was at 

peace with all the world. 

Among the most prominent laws passed 
during his administration were acts for 
promoting reform in the civil service, to 
suppress polygamy in Utah, and to forbid 
Chinese immigration into the United States. 
The subject of the civilization of the Indians 
received much and earnest attention. 




Chester A. Arthur— 1830-1886. 



The Telephone and Phonograph. 

OUR book of American History would not be complete without 
at least a word about that great invention, the Telephone. 
It has remained for an American to solve the problem of 
communication between persons at a distance from each 
other. Scientists, by means of electricity and sound, have devised 
an apparatus for transmitting the voice to a distance of hundreds 
of miles. The credit should be given to Alexander Graham Bell, 
of Massachusetts, and to Elisha P. Gray, of Chicago. 

Closely following the telephone is the Phonograph, an inven- 
tion based on the same principle of science, but brought about by 
different means. The phonograph is made to talk and sing, thus 
enabling one to read by the ear instead of the eye. 



Edison, the Genius of the Age. 

TO-DAY the old system of illumination is giving way to the 
splendors of electric glow. With man's progress came the 
much needed question of artificial light. Electric lights not 
only adorn the streets of our cities, but grace our parlors, 
furnishing a stronger, a cleaner and more healthful light than any 



304 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



other known. To Thomas A. Edison, of Massachusetts, belongs the 
glory of bringing electricity for lighting purposes to a successful 
basis. Other scientists before him had experimented, but to Edison 
remained the work of removing the final difficulties. Electricity is 
to-day furnishing the motive power for street cars, railroads, engines, 
etc., and it is predicted that before the dawn of a new century 
more wonderful still will be the achievements of this untutored 
and remarkable man. 

With no less possibilities in scientific research comes the 
Kinetoscope, his latest invention, which by a thousand instan- 
taneous pictures enables one to see the lifelike motions of "a child 
at play," "a distant battle," or the varied scenes of a " County Fair." 



Administration of Qrover Cleveland. 

WITH Cleveland came the Democratic Restoration. The 
Republicans had been in power for twenty-four years. 
At the beginning of his administration he was confronted 
with many trials, but so well did he please the people 
that when he retired from office he was 
permitted to remain in retirement only 
four years, at which time he was again 
called to take the Presidential chair. 

It was during Cleveland's first ad- 
ministration that a feeling of discontent 
began to spring up among the laboring 
classes. This was due partly to a series 
of bad crops and partly because capitalists 
withdrew money from legitimate produc- 
tions, this reducing means of employing 

Qrover cieveiand-1837 . labor and causing a stagnation in business. 

This feeling reached its height when an outbreak occurred in 
Chicago on the 4th of May, 1887. A reckless crowd had collect- 
ed at a place called The Haymarket. The anarchists were about 
to begin their usual exciting and inflammatory proceeding when a 
squad of policemen drew near with the intention of controlling 
the meeting. 




PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



305 



A horrible scene followed. Dynamite bombs were thrown 
into the crowd and many exploded near the policemen. Several 
of the leading anarchists were arrested, brought to trial, con- 
demned and executed on the charge of inciting to murder. 

So all during Cleveland's administration the public mind was 
swayed hither and thither by party politics, and on election day, 
the Republican nominee, Benjamin H. Harrison, great-grandson 
of the signer of the Declaration of Independence, was elected 
President of the United States. 



D 



Earthquake at Charleston. 

OES it not seem as if the City of Charleston, S. C. , 
had much more than her share of misfortunes? Well, 
was what I thought when the newspapers all over 



has 
this 
the 



country on the morning of September ist, 1886, gave to the 
world an account of that great disturbance known as an earth - 




Earthquake at Charleston. 



:o6 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



quake, which had occurred the night before just as people were 
getting ready for bed. The first intimation that the Signal Serv- 
ice Bureau at Washington city had of this catastrophe was a 
surmise. They knew that something was wrong. No communi- 
cation was possible. All telegraph wires were suddenly cut ofT. 
Without a moment's warning the city had been shocked and rent 
to its very foundation. Hardly a building escaped injury and al- 
most a third of the city was in half or total ruins. The whole 
Atlantic coast was more or less affected, and for leagues from the 
shore the ocean was thrown in a turmoil. 

The people fled from the falling houses to the parks and 
public squares. Here they erected tents and remained for weeks, 
afraid to return to their homes. It was after a time, however, 
discovered that these shocks were only the dying away of great 
convulsions and that further alarm was unnecessary, and people 
returned to their homes. 

With true American energy the debris was in a few months 
cleared away, business was resumed and to-day were it not for a 
few cracks and fissures in buildings we would never know that 
anything had happened there to disturb their peace. 



The Administration of Benjamin Harrison. 

IN accordance with the custom of the 
Government, General Harrison was 
inaugurated President on the 4th of 
March, 1889. It is said that he had 
succeeded better than any one of his prede- 
cessors in keeping his own counsels during 
the time between his election and inau- 
guration. All waited with interest his 
Inaugural Address, and I can heartily say 
he did not disappoint the party whom he 
represented. No great catastrophe oc- 
curred during his Administration except 
that of the Johnstown flood. 




Benjamin Harrison— 1833 — 

One Term, iSSp-iSp^. 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



307 



W 



Johnstown Flood. 

ILL you not get your geography and look upon the map 
of Pennsylvania for the thriving town of Johnstown? 

Here in the year 1889 occurred a great calamity. It 
came about by the bursting of a reservoir and the pour- 
ing out of a deluge in the valle}' below. A large artificial fishing 
lake, five miles in length and varying in depth from fifty to one 
hundred feet had been made in the ravine of South Fork 
River. This was owned by a party of wealthy sportsmen. Many 










Xv--##Tr^'5^v*i''"' 



-^•^y 






Warning the Inhabitant5. 

times the people had said "This lake is not safe; some day the 
dam will break and woe be to the residents below." 

It occurred in May, just after the Spring rains, when the 
river and lake were filled to overflowing. The dam had been im- 
perfectly constructed, so you see it was an easy matter to break 
open. This is precisely what it did. It burst wide open in the 
center, and a solid wall of water, from twenty to fifty feet in 
height, rushed down the valley with terrible violence, sweeping 
everything before it. 



3o8 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

The prosperous town of Johnstown was totally wrecked and 
thrown in an indescribable heap of horror against the aqueduct 
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, below the town. What made mat- 
ters still worse, the ruins caught fire and the shrieks of the hun- 
dreds of victims were terrible to think about. As near as can be 
ascertained about three thousand people perished in the flood or 
were burned to death in the ruins. 

The news spread dismay all over the country. Every family 
mourned, and all, no matter how poor, sent help to the suf- 
ferers. Millions of dollars in money and supplies were poured out 
to relieve the despair of those who survived. 

Indian Outbreak. 

IN December, 1890, the country was surprised by the reports 
of a serious outbreak of the Indians on the reservations in the 
Dakotas, and at the same time a feeling of unrest fell among 
the Agency Indians. They were indulging in the Ghost Dances, 
and as the craze traveled to other tribes farther West and to the 
Canadian Indians on the North, it appeared that there would be 
a general uprising. The Indians have always believed in the com- 
ing of the Messiah, and the crafty old medicine man, Sitting Bull, 
who had returned to Dakota eleven years before, fostered the 
superstition and inaugurated the Ghost Dance. For many years 
his name was almost as well known as that of any millionaire or 
statesman. He had shown a continuous hostility against the 
whites, and for nearly twenty years vain attempts were made to 
bring him into subjection. He was a chief of the Dakota Sioux, 
both by inheritance and deeds, being one of the most daring of 
the red men, and a man of natural intelligence, great energy and, 
force. His purpose was to assemble warriors in the spring, and, 
with the aid of the Messiah, bring back to life all the dead Indians, 
drive the iwhite man out and restore the country to its pristine 
glory. If the Messiah failed to appear he would still have behind 
him a force large enough to hold back the soldiers and enable 
him to escape to Canada. 

The Interior Department promptly transferred control of the 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 




Indian Dance. 

Indians ol North Dakota to the War Department. It was the 
intention to overawe them by bringing against them an equal force 

1' R k' h 7'^^' '"■"' "*^ '^''' '''"' ^'^^"'"g ^«P°"s from 
the Rosebud and Pme Ridge Agencies in South Dakota that the 



3IO 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Indians were killing and running off cattle and establishing a camp 
in the Bad Lands, there to await the coming of the troops. 
General Brooke, an old Indian fighter, personally in charge of the 




Indian Demanding Tribute. 

troops, was visited by a delegation of the hostiles, but the con- 
ference came to naught. 

The death of Sitting Bull was unexpected. He had promised 
to come into the agency and surrender, but not doing so, and as 
he was considered the chief instigator of the hostilities, the Indian 
Police at the Pine Ridge Agency were ordered to arrest him, in 
order to prevent his departure for the Bad Lands, where he would 
be safe. The police were followed by a troop of cavalry and a 
company of infantry, and, without waiting for the soldiers to come 
up, at once placed the old chief under arrest and started back 
with him to the agency. Scarcely had they gotten under way 



■Ilil' ''ill In ill III! 

fllniiil Ij'il 




312 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

when friends of the old Indian ralhed to his rescue and a terrible 
fight of the hand to hand description followed. The police, 
although surrounded and greatly outnumbered, fought like demons, 
and held their own until the calvary came up and succeeded in 
compelling the Indians to flee or surrender. Sitting Bull was killed, 
being shot through the body and head by Bullhead and Red Toma- 
hawk. Four policemen were killed outright, another died at the 
agency from wounds, while the hostiles lost eight killed, including 
Crow Foot, the son of Sitting Bull. 

Great uncertainty is attached to the birth of Sitting Bull. 
According to some authorities he was born near old Fort George 
in Dakota, in 1837. Another says that he was a native of Fort 
Garry (now Winnipeg), and a graduate of St. John's College there. 
Old traders declare that they remember him well as Charlie Jacobs, 
a half breed, who attended the College in its infancy, but disap- 
peared in 1853. Sitting Bull, when once asked if he remembered 
anything about Fort Garry, laughed and said he knew all about 
the principal people there. 

Battle of Wounded Knee Creek. 

IN the annals of American history there cannot be found a battle 
so fierce, bloody and decisive as the fight at Wounded Knee 
Creek between the Seventh Cavalry and Big Foot's band of 
Sioux. It was a stand-up fight of the most desperate kind, 
in which nearly the entire band was annihilated, and although the 
soldiers outnumbered their opponents nearly three to one, the 
victory was won by two troops, about one hundred strong, at least 
twenty less than the warriors in front of them. The Seventh 
Cavalry was the regiment, the contingent of which died around 
Custer in 1878. 

The night before the Indians had agreed to submit, and the 
troops were up bright and early in readiness to move by eight 
o'clock. At that hour the cavalry and dismounted troops were 
massed about the Indian village, the Hotchkiss guns overlooking the 
camp not fifty yards away. The Indians were ordered to come 
forward, away from their tents, and when the band, under the 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



313 



leadership of Big Foot, 
walked out of their lodges 
and formed a semicircle 
in front of the soldiers' 
tents, there was nothing 
to indicate that they 
would not submit. Col- 
onel Forsyth, an Indian 
fighter of tried worth, 
never gave a thought to 
the chance of a fight. 
When it was made plain 
to the band that their 
arms must be given up, 
the murmur of discontent 
was unanimous. When 
the soldiers proceeded to 
disarm them and search 
their tents the medicine 
man jumped up, uttered 
a loud incantation and 
fired at a trooper stand- 
ing guard over the cap- 
tured guns. That was the signal for fight, and in a second every 
buck in the party rose to his feet, cast aside the blanket which 
covered his Winchester, and, taking aim, fired directly at the 
troop in front. It was a terrible onslaught, and so sudden that all 
were stunned, but, quickly recovering, they opened fire on the 
enemy. The position of troops B and K would not allow their 
fellow-cavalrymen to fire, lest they shoot through the Indians and 
kill their own men. Thus the terrible duel raged for thirty minutes. 
Someone ordered "Spare the women," but the squaws fought like 
demons and could not be distinguished from the men. The entire 
band was practically slaughtered, and those who escaped to the 
ravine were followed by the cavalry and shot down wherever found. 
The chief medicine man, whose incantations had caused the band 
to act with such murderous treachery, fell with a dozen bullets in 




Frontier Scout. 



314 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



his body. The Seventh Cavalry had an old grudge to settle, and 
they did their work well. Captain Wallace, commanding Troop K, 
and several privates were killed. Lieutenant Garlington was 
severely wounded in the arm. It is claimed that of the Indians 




Messenger. 

there were but two survivors, one of which was a baby girl about 
three months old, who has since been adopted by a wealthy lady 
in Washington. 

One of the saddest events of the Indian outbreak was the 
murder of young Lieutenant Casey on January 7th. He was shot, 
while out reconnoitering, by a treacherous Brule Indian. The 
lieutenant, who was in command of a large body of Cheyenne 
scouts, had many friends in the hostile camp near White River, 
who denounced the Brules bitterly for countenancing the murder. 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



315 



He had been in command of the troop of scouts for about a year, 
and was working in the interest of the Indians themselves. 

After the defeat of the Indians at Wounded Knee Creek, they 
were ready to close the conflict and make the best terms possible 
with General Miles. On the 2 2d of January there was a grand 
military review in honor of the victory over the redskins. Ten 




Buffalo Bill, a Poe of the Indians. 

thousand Sioux had a good opportunity to see the strength and 
discipline of the United States army, the end of the ghost-dance 
rebellion being marked by a review of all the soldiers who had 
taken part in crushing the Indians. Thus passed into history 
probably not only the most remarkable of our Indian wars, but 
the last one there will ever be. 



A 



Second Administration of Cleveland. 

T the election in 1892 everything went against the Repub- 
lican party and mostly in favor of the Democrats. Cleveland 
being their choice, he was again made President. 



3i6 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



The World's Columbian Exposition. 

IT was now almost four hundred years since Columbus dis- 
covered America. Our country had grown from a small settle- 
ment of people brought over in the Mayjlozvcr to a prosperous 
nation of over 50,000,000 inhabitants. It had achieved inde- 
pendence, glory, peace and prosperity, so why not celebrate? 
This was what everybody thought, and, as you know, "thinking 

brings acting," so it was finally decided 
to Chicago the honor of holding 
; Exposition was due. 

If you know anything about 
Chicago at all, you know she 
never does anything by halves. 
She went to work with a will and, 
while she is often called the 
"Windy City," she gladdened all 
hearts by her patriotism, liberality 
id public spirit. A site was selected 
le Lake Front, known as Jackson Park, 
and every energy was bent to make it the 
grandest and most unique show ever brought about in the old 
world or new. 

The managers of the Exposition, with the aid of Congress, 
decided it should eclipse all previous expositions that the world 
had seen. One particular feature was the recognition of women 
in full fellowship with men in the conduct of the Exposition. 
Congress passed an act that there should be a woman's depart- 
ment, and a board of lady managers was appointed by the President. 
The President also appointed commissions of the Fair for the 
different States; and then issued a proclamation, officially inviting 
all the nations of the earth to participate in the Exposition. 

The great work went forward, and in October, 1S92, the 
buildings were dedicated, and in May, 1893, came the formal 
opening to visitors. 

Not only did the United States celebrate the discovery of 
America, but Spain also, who had not yet forgotten her good 





— ♦^ 



317 



3i8 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Queen Isabella, who offered her jewels in order to equip a fleet for 
Columbus. At Genoa, also, the birthplace of Columbus, was held, 
under the auspices of the King and Queen of Italy, another expo- 
sition, but none of these compared to the one known as the 
"World's Fair" at Chicago. 

At the dedicatory services in Chicago, there gathered no less 
than one million visitors. Never before in history had so many 
people assembled on a festal occasion. Four hundred years of 
marvelous progress was to receive the offerings of the world's 
applause. 

Then in May, 1893, came the visitors to behold the achieve- 
ments. For six months the crowds came and went. When done, 
America said "Another jewel is added to our accomplished glory." 
It was great in many ways, but principally as an educator for 
the young and old, rich and poor. 



The Presidential Election of 1896. 

OUR "Young People's History" would not be complete with- 
out a sketch of the fierce Presidential contest of 1896 and 
some of the questions which confront our people to-day. 
From the repeal of the so-called "Sherman Law" by Con- 
gress in the' special session of 1893, the friends of silver began 
to organize and prepare for a tre- 
mendous struggle in its behalf. 
The "Wilson-Gorman" tariff bill 
which superseded the "McKinley 
Bill" of 1890 failed to furnish reve- 
nue sufficient to meet the expense 
of the government. The panic of 
'93 came upon us, more widespread, 
more serious in its consequences, 
than any other financial crisis in 
our history. Business was at a 
standstill, labor was without em- 
ployment, failure succeeded failure 
with startling rapidity, confidence wiiiiam McKiniey. 




PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 319 

was destroyed and men sought for a cause of these conditions. 

The friends of silver attributed it to legislation adverse to the 
interests of that metal, while the advocates of a protective tariff 
traced the disasters of the time to a tariff which neither furnished 
money enough to keep the government from borrowing nor fur- 
nished labor for our workmen. The silver men then began an 
active campaign. Clubs were formed especially in the south and 
west, silver literature was sent broadcast, speakers were employed 
and the currency question was discussed as never before. 

When the time for the nomination of Presidential candidates 
arrived, the country was in a fever of excitement. The Repub- 
lican Convention met in St. Louis in June and after a bitter de- 
bate adopted a platform in favor of the gold standard, pledging 
to do its utmost to secure the recognition of silver as money by 
gold-standard nations at a ratio to be determined by international 
conference, and to a protective tariff. William McKinley of Ohio 
was nominated for President and Garrett A. Hobart of New Jersey 
for Vice-President. 

The Democratic convention was held in Chicago in July with 
the silver men in control. In the debate following the report of 
the committee upon resolutions, William J. Bryan of Nebraska 
supported the silver plank in a speech so eloquent, so convincing 
that the enthusiasm aroused could not be stemmed. When the 
time for naming candidates came, Mr. Bryan was nominated for 
President amid scenes of wild confusion. Arthur Sewall of Maine 
was selected for Vice-President. The platform declared for the 
free coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one, and for a 
continuation of the existing tariff. 

Later the Populists held their convention and nominated Mr. 
Bryan for President and Thomas Watson of Georgia for Vice- 
President. The Silver Party, so-called, indorsed the nomination 
of Mr. Bryan and the campaign was on. The issues were clearly 
outlined. Party lines were in a measure obliterated. The eastern 
and central states seemed to favor the Republican platform, while 
the southern and western states were pronounced for silver. In 
September, the "Gold Democrats" met at Indianapolis and nom- 
inated John M. Palmer of Illinois for President and Simon B. 



320 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 




W. J. Bryan. 



Buckner of Kentucky for Vice-President on a platform declaring 
for the gold standard only. 

Mr. Bryan chose to stump the 
country, traveling by special train 
and addressing the people at every 
stop. Mr. McKinley remained at 
his home in Canton and there for 
weeks daily received delegations 
from all parts of "the land. Never 
before had such an interest been 
taken in a Presidential contest. 
Both sides were confident, but to 
all it was apparent that Michigan, 
Indiana, Illinois and Iowa would 
determine the result. As election approached, interest in the out- 
come increased. Business was suspended. ' On ever}^ side were 
heard bitter debates. Meetings were held day and night, each 
party claiming that in the election of its candidate alone lay the 
salvation of the country. 

On November 5th the battle of the ballots was fought. The 
returns showed the election of Mr. McKinley by a large majority 
of both the popular and the electoral vote. Old traditions were 
broken; West Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky were found for 
the first time in the Republican column, while Colorado, Nevada, 
Kansas and Nebraska were in the Democratic ranks. Then came 
the manifestation of the patriotism of our people, the vindication 
of our system of government. The result was accepted by all. 
Bitterness was forgotten and Mr. McKinley was hailed as coming 
President, not of Republicans or Democrats, but of the people. 

On March 4th, 1897, Mr. McKinley was inaugurated as 
President amidst a scene of splendor never to be forgotten. He 
had previously announced his cabinet to the public, and his selec- 
tions were approved by the people, regardless of party. John 
Sherman of Ohio, with a brilliant record of forty years of public 
life, was made Secretary of State; Lyman J. Gage of Illinois, Pres- 
ident of the First National Bank of Chicago, recognized as an able 
and conservative financier, but never an office holder, was named 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



321 



Secretary of the Treasury. Russell A. Alger of Michigan, popu- 
lar among the old soldiers, was made Secretary of War; John D. 
Long of Massachusetts was made Secretary of the Navy; James 
A. Gary of Maryland, Postmaster General; Judge Joseph McKenna 
of California, Attorney General, and Cornelius Bliss of New York, 
Secretary of the Interior. These were promptly confirmed by the 
Senate. The present cabinet is remarkable for the absence of 




Hon. John Sherman. 

politicians and for the presence of business men, a fact which 
promises well for the country. 

In his inaugural address, Mr. McKinley emphasized the need 
of revenue and called a special session of Congress, to meet March 
15th, to provide sufficient revenue. Congress gathered on that 
date and promptly reported the " Dingley Bill, "which its author 
claimed would furnish money for the government and open fac- 
tories and mills closed by the Democratic tariff. The arbitration 



322 5 TORIES FROM AMERICA N HIS TOR V. 

treaty with England not confirmed by the Senate during Mr. 
Cleveland's administration was urged by the President for ratifica- 
cation, also an international conference upon the silver question 
was advocated and a commission of statesmen, business men, 
bankers and economists recommended to formulate a currency 
system better adapted to our needs than the present one. 

So begins the administration of Mr. McKinley. That it may 
restore prosperity and add to the glory of our nation is the heart- 
felt prayer of every American. 

Our Nation To=Day. 

PERHAPS nothing can better show the feeling of our country 
to-day than to describe a banquet given by the Marquette 
Club of Chicago, dated February 12, 1897, ^^^ honor of our 
dead hero, Abraham Lincoln. 

High up on the middle arch of the Auditorium banquet hall 
there hung a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. 

Above it crouched an eagle and from each side swept in grace- 
ful folds of red, white and blue silk the emblem of that Union 
whose integrity he had died to preserve. 

In the address of welcome the speaker said: "It might not be 
improper to pause here long enough to throw a few bouquets at 
our opponents, the free-silverites. They certainly deserve credit 
fcr the loyalty and zeal, almost amounting to fanaticism, which 
they displayed for their cause. To them it was more awe-inspiring 
than the ominous crescent of the Saracens and more worshipful 
than the cross of the Crusader. No more dramatic and picturesque 
character ever appeared in a nation than that of their leader, Mr. 
Bryan. He is my personal friend, and I know that in every per- 
sonal and manly attribute he is sans peur et sans reproche. The 
admiration of his followers amounted to hero-worship, and they 
read his name in the Bible and saw his face in the clouds. A 
free-silverite at Moline, 111., in conversation with a Swede, after 
exhausting all arguments, finally said, "Well, there are no flies on 
this free-silver business. " The Swede replied, "Naw, Ay tank not, 
Ov course, dem flies they half some sense, too," 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 



323 



"One year ago to-night, in this hall, this club had for its guest 
an honored statesman, who to-day is the chief magistrate-elect of 
this great republic. I remember well his words descriptive of the 
great love of the immortal Lincoln for the common people. I re- 
member how he told us that amid the darkest clouds of the war, 
Lincoln reached out his hand to touch the hand of the people, as 
a little child reaches out its hand in darkness to touch the hand 




Senate Chamber. 



of its mother. The Republican party has always been the friend 
of the poor man and has always resented any attempt to array 
one class of our people against another. The doctrine of hate 
preached in the last campaign was an attempt to array capital 
against labor, employer against employee, and the East against 
the West. 



324 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

No Room for Class Distinction. 

"In the American republic, where the gates of opportunity are 
open to the poorest and humblest boy in the land, there is no 
room for class distinctions or class hatred. When our forefathers 
built this government they laid the foundation broad enough so 
that we could all stand upon it. The lawyer who pleads our case 
in court, the banker who keeps our money safe, and does our 
business for- us; the doctor who goes to the bedside of the sick 
and brings life instead of death; the old gray-haired creature, who 
stands at the baptismal, at the marriage and at the deathbed; the 
engineer who holds the throttle in the midnight darkness and brings 
his burden of humanity safe to its destination; the miner who goes 
into the bowels of the earth and digs the coal that warms us and 
lights the fires of our great factories; the farmer who, out in the 
fresh air and sunshine, produces the food that sustains life; the 
merchant with whom we trade, the rich and the poor, the high 
and the low, are all covered by the broad folds of the American 
flag and equally protected in life, liberty, and in the pursuit of 
happiness. We cannot conceive of George Washington preaching 
a doctrine of hate between one man and another. Lincoln would 
never be the advocate of a doctrine that attempts to array the 
rich against the poor, for it is he who said, "The fact that some 
are rich is proof that others may become rich." The doctrine of 
sectional hate was shot to death on the battle-fields of the late 
war. A dollar that is good for the rich man is none too good for 
the poor man. A dollar good for the East is good for the West. 
A good dollar is good everywhere and for everybody. The doc- 
trine of class and sectional hate has no breathing place in free 
America. 

"The Republican party was born out here on the prairies of 
Illinois. Upon these prairies, so open that truth could find no 
hiding place; here where the people are bound together by the 
railroads — those bands of iron — with the church spires forming a 
successive vision from Chicago to Cairo, with the schoolhouses 
upon its broad prairies — it was the people of this great State that 
listened to the debates between Douglas and Lincoln, and as the 



PEACE AND PROSPERITY. 325 

words of human liberty fell from the mouth of the great emanci- 
pator the hearts of the people beat in unison with his, until the 
great heart of the Nation joined the procession, keeping time to 
the drum-beat of the Union armies as they followed Illinois' great 
General, Ulysses S. Grant, as he struck blow after blow, until 
the bottom fell out of the armed rebellion upon the field of Ap- 
pomattox. 

" Illinois, Illinois." 

"Then was lifted into the forum of our constitution, to shine 
for ever and ever like a star, the great principle of the equality of 
all men before the law," Illinois is very proud of the part taken 
by its great men in that great conflict. 

" Not without thy wondrous story, 

Illinois, Illinois, 
Can be writ the Nation's glory, 

Illinois, Illinois. 
On the record of thy years 
Abr'am Lincoln's name appears, 
Grant and Logan — and our tears, 

Illinois." 

"Proud as we are of our commonwealth and its great men, y^i 
above it all is revered our national fame. As true Republicans we 
believe it to be an eternal truth that the right of the Federation 
is above the right of the State, and that in the baptism of fire 
and blood of the late civil strife there was breathed into this re- 
public the breath of a broader national life. Way off in the moun- 
tains of West Virginia rises the Monongahela River and it flows 
by the grave of my mother, but as the waters wash against its 
banks by the side of that grave its requiem tells me the story of 
West Virginia, and those waters flow on into the Ohio, past this 
State, where is my home and the home of my wife and children, 
they sing no song of Illinois; and as the same waters rush past 
the State of my nativity on their way to the gulf I hear not the 
name of Tennessee; but in that ceaseless murmur between two 
oceans I hear a grand anthem to the American republic. In it I 
hear the voice of my Nation proclaiming the will of the people. 



326 



STORfES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



"Let us indulge in the hope that the President and Congress 
coming into power after the 4th of March, under the high war- 
rant of the sovereign people of this republic, may remember 
whence their power comes, and so use it as to advance the welfare 
of the whole people, to the end that this republic may fulfill the 
high destiny designed by its builders." 




PART VIII. 

United States Government. 



/ 




The District of Columbia and the National Capitol. 

BY J. II. TIBBITTS. 

.r^' "-x,^-^ District of Columbia, which contains the capital 
city of the United States, is situated on the north 
side of the Potomac River, about the middle of the 
western and southern boundary of the State of Mary- 
land. It is ten miles long by about six in width, 
and the surface is broken by a series of gentle hills 
and valleys partly covered by forest trees, which fur- 
nish a great variety of beautiful scenery. 

The District was given to the United States by the State of 
Maryland in 1788, and in 1790 Congress ordered the city to be 
laid out, and streets improved and such public buildings to be 
erected as should be needed by the Government. The capital 
and the Government were moved from Philadelphia to its new 
home in June, 1800, and Congress first met in its own halls on 
November 2 1 of the same year. 

The city of Washington lies along the river for three or four 
miles, and stretches back two miles to the foot of the hills, which 
rise above the plain nearly two hundred feet, from the tops of 
which a magnificent view can be had over the city and away 
down the river to Fort Washington, fifteen miles away. The 
beautiful new library, with its golden dome, the marble walls and 
silvery globe-like dome of the Capitol, the Washington monument 
reaching more than five hundred feet into the air. the dark slate 
roofs and granite walls of the Government buildings, the slender 

327 



328 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

towers and church spires standing up above the countless red walls 
of the houses showing through the green of the hundred thousand 
trees lining the streets, and all reaching down to the lake-like river, 
with the blue hills of old Virginia in the background, altogether 
make such a landscape that is not equaled, perhaps, in the world. 

Within the city are a score oi: more of beautiful parks, each 
containing from one to seventy acres, and all handsomely laid 
with walks and drives, and set with flowers, shrubbery and trees. 

Outside the city is the new National Rock Creek Park, com- 
prising more than a thousand acres, lying along the valley of Rock 
Creek for two miles or more, with the steep wooded hillsides rising 
three hundred feet on each side, along the foot of which wanders 
the narrow channel of the stream which joins the Potomac, a mile 
below, and along which thousands of children spend many happy 
hours. Within this park is the Zoological Garden, containing many 
curious and interesting animals and birds, and which is becoming 
a very popular resort for excursion and picnic parties. 

The streets of Washington are covered almost entirely with 
smooth concrete pavement, there being more than a hundred miles 
over which children can glide on their roller skates or bicycles. 
They are also shaded by a great variety of trees which in many 
cases form a perfect arcade for squares. 

When this spot was selected by President Washington for the 
capital city of the United States it was covered with farms, com- 
prising about 6,300 acres, and was owned by nineteen persons, 
who gave 2,500 acres for streets, for which they received no pay, 
and sold about 700 acres to the Government for parks and build- 
ings at $66.66 per acre, and then gave one-half of all the remainder 
to the Government, to be sold for money witih which to improve 
the streets and to erect the public buildings. 

A commission of three men was appointed by President 
Washington to survey the boundary lines of the District, lay out 
the streets and parks and attend to making all improvements. 
This commission decided to call the district "The Territory of 
Columbia," and the Federal city the "City of Washington," out 
of respect and veneration for the first citizen of the country, who 
was then President. 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 



329 



It was also decided that all streets running north and south 
should be numbered, and those running east and west should be 
called by the letters of the alphabet, and that the lettering and 
numbering should begin at the Capitol square, so we have First 
street east, First street west. A street north and A street south, etc. 




National Soldiers Home. 



The wide streets or avenues running obliquely are named for 
the States of the Union, beginning with the names of the New 
England and Middle States, which were given to what are now 
some of the most important streets in the city. 

Washington is a quiet and clean city in which to live There 
are no great factories, with their noise and smoke and as it has but 
little commerce, it seems very dull and sleepy to people who are 
used to the bustle and hurry of large commercial and manufac- 
turing towns. 

In a hundred years Washington has grown from nothing to a 
city of 300,000 people, with more than a hundred miles of hnest 



330 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

paved streets, lined with a hundred thousand shade trees, and 
the largest and most costly buildings in the country. 

The Origin of Government. 

yiS children find it useful to have rules and agreements in 
/ 1 conducting their games and plays, to avoid constant quarrels 
/~^^and disputes, so it is necessary in all societies and com- 
munities to have rules or laws to control and govern the 
relations between the members; and the larger the society, and 
more intricate the relations between the members, the greater the 
need for correct and just regulations to govern them, and the 
larger will be the number of officers and people to see that the 
laws are correctly enforced. This is what makes the difference 
between civilized and uncivilized nations. The uncivilized nations 
have few and simple laws, and but few officers, while the highly 
civilized and enlightened nations have many laws and many public 
officers. 

The number of officers and employes of the Government of 
the United States, with a population of seventy millions, and its 
great extent of territory, not counting those employed in the army 
and navy, is 178,717. 

When the people employ an officer to transact their business, 
they expect he will do it promptly, correctly and honestly, but 
this is not always done, so, as few private citizens have either the 
time or desire to look after and watch the public servants, a few 
officers are appointed to oversee or superintend the duties of the 
many, and a still higher officer is appointed to see that the sub- 
ordinate officers perform their duties in a satisfactory manner. 

In a small community like a township or village all the citi- 
zens, or inhabitants who have a vote, can meet together and adopt 
such laws and regulations as they deem best, and can also elect 
or appoint officers to see that these laws are carried into effect, 
and still other officers, or judges, to decide, in case of dispute, 
just what the laws mean or how they shall be enforced or ap- 
plied. 

So also, we have three kinds of government officers: First,' those 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 331 

who make the laws; second, those who enforce or execute the 
laws, and, third, those who construe or decide what the laws 
mean. These three classes of offi.cers, or branches of government, 
are called the Legislative, or lawmaking branch, the Executive, 
or enforcing branch, and the Judicial, or deciding branch. 

In very large communities, like States, where it is impossible 
for all the citizens or voters to meet together and make their laws, 
they are divided into small districts, the voters of which can meet 
together and elect representatives, to whom they delegate or give 
the power to make the laws. 

These representatives, or delegates, meet at the capital of 
the various States at fixed times, and make such laws as they think 
are needed or demanded. 

In the Government of the United States there are two kinds 
of delegates. One kind are called Congressmen or Representatives, 
of which each State has one or more, according to the number of 
inhabitants, and the other kind are called Senators, of which each 
State can have only two. These two classes of legislators meet 
in two bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate, which 
together are called the Houses of Congress, or the Congress of 
the United States. 

These two legislative bodies were created, because it was thought 
that better and wiser laws would be made than if there were but one 
law-making body. In this way every proposed law has to pass or 
meet the approval of both Houses of Congress before it can be 
adopted. Then after this is done, each measure must be approved 
by the President before it can become a law. 

In order to have a bad law repealed or amended, or any ex- 
isting law changed, or "a new law enacted to which many of the 
members might be opposed, the lawmakers are changed fre- 
quently, the Congressmen being elected for only two years and 
the Senators for six years. It was thought that the laws would 
not be changed so often nor for so slight a cause if one branch 
of Congress were continued longer in office than the other. 

It has been found by centuries of experience that to secure 
good government, and the greatest freedom to each person, each 
of the three branches of government should be kept entirely sepa- 



332 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

rate and independent of each other, as an executive who can both 
make and execute the laws becomes a despot, and the ruler who 
can both make the law and act as judge is likely to be unjust. 

In addition to the lawmaking bodies, the people of the United 
States also elect their chief executive officer, called the President, 
whose duties are to see that all the laws of Congress are equally 
and properly enforced, and to sign or approve such laws of Con- 
gress as meet with his commendation. 

There is also a Vice-President elected, who becomes President 
upon the death of the President or his inability to perform the 
duties of his office. 

These two classes of officers, consisting of three hundred and 
fifty-six representatives and ninety senators, and the President and 
Vice-President, are all the officers of the Government that are elected 
by the people. 

All the other government officers and employes are appointed 
by the President or by some of his subordinate officials, who will 
be described in their proper places. 

President and Vice-President of the United States. 

TfiE President and Vice-President are chosen every four years 
and enter upon their duties the fourth day of March next 
following their election. 

The inauguration of the President of the United States 
is an important event to the people of Washington and is made 
the occasion of a great celebration, thousands of people coming 
from every part of the Union to witness it. 

When President McKinley was inaugurated in March, 1897, 
there was a parade of 50,000 people, consisting of military com- 
panies, political clubs and civic organizations, all handsomely 
uniformed, and marching to the music of a hundred bands. The 
governors of many of the states with their attendants gayly 
mounted on fine horses were present, and as the procession 
marched from the Capitol, where the President and Vice-Presi- 
dent had just taken the oath of office, to the White House, where 
the President lives, it made an imposing and attractive spectacle. 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 333 

The President and Vice-President always ride at the head of 
the Hne, one accompanied by the President whose terms of office 
have just expired and the other by the Vice-President. Upon 
reaching the White House, they ahght from their carriages and 
review the parade from a stand. Every company in hne salutes 
the President as it marches past; he in turn acknowledges it with 
a dignified bow. 

At suitable places along the streets are erected covered stands 
containing from a hundred to three thousand seats each, which are 
sold to people who wish to see the parade from a comfortable and 
easy position. So popular are many of these seats that often many 
people pay as high as three or four dollars for the best seats, though 
most of them sell for one dollar each. 

In the evening there is a great display of fireworks, after 
which the inaugural ball is held. The ball in honor of President 
McKinley was the grandest affair of its kind ever given in Wash- 
ington, the public building where it was held being decorated in a 
most magnificent manner. 

Nearly ten thousand people attended, yet the building was 
amply large enough to hold them all without crowding. The 
interior of the vast room was completely covered with a drapery 
of white and yellow, decorated with thousands of plants and 
flowers, gracefully interwoven with the national colors, and all lighted 
by thousands of brilliantly colored electric lamps. 

The festivities lasted until daylight, but the President and 
his party only appeared for a short time, slowly walking around 
the room once, then retiring. The price of the ball tickets are 
usually five dollars each, and the dinner tickets one dollar each. 

The money received from the sale of tickets is used to pay 
the expenses of the inaugural ceremonies, which often amount to 
more than fifty thousand dollars. 

The President receives a salary of fifty thousand dollars per 
year, and lives, if he chooses, in the White House or Executive 
Mansion, which is completely and splendidly furnished in every 
respect suitable for the chief officer of our country. 

The Vice-President receives a salary of eight thousand dollars 
per year. His duties consist in presiding over the meetings of the 



334 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

United States Senate, or acting as its chairman. He is aot furnished 
a residence, nor has he any allowance except the salary of one 
private secretary 

Cabinet. 

THE President's official family of advisers, or cabinet as they 
are called, are men appointed by him and confirmed by the 
Senate, to take charge of the eight great departments of the 
government. Their official titles are the Secretary of State, 
Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of 
War, Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of Agriculture, the Post- 
master-General and Attorney-General. 

Each receives a salary of eight thousand dollars per year, 
but no other allowance. 

Their duties as advisers of the President are to inform him 
from time to time of the condition of business of the department 
over which each presides, and to advise him in regard to the 
manner it can best be conducted, and recommend such changes 
as in their opinion may be most beneficial to the country. 

When any matter of great importance is to be considered a 
cabinet meeting is called, at which time each member expresses his 
opinion, at the conclusion of which the President directs such action 
as seems most proper. 

The State Department. 

THE first member of the cabinet is called the Secretary of 
State. The Department of State has charge of all the rela- 
tions and business between our own and other governments, 
and conducts all the foreign correspondence of the President. 
When the President wishes to communicate with another govern- 
ment, the letter or dispatch is prepared under his direction by the 
Department of State, and forwarded to the United States Minis- 
ter or representative at the capital of the foreign country, who in 
turn hands it to the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, 
which corresponds to our Department of State. 

If there is an answer it is sent the same way, being given to 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 335 

our minister there, who transmits it to the Secretary of State, who, 
with the President considers it. 

Letters and dispatches are sent through the mail, except in 
extraordinary cases when a special messenger or bearer of dis- 
patches is employed. 

Our government has a representative to each of the principal 
countries in the world, and nearly all foreign governments have 
representatives in Washington, 

The State Department also has supervision over the consular 
service. At nearly all the larger cities in the world a consular 
officer of the United States is stationed to look after the 
interests of American citizens who may go there to engage in 
business or for travel. 

In seaport towns they look after the American ships which 
may enter for trade and the American sailors who may go ashore. 
They see that no injustice or injury may be done them by the 
authorities or the inhabitants, and to assist in settling any dispute 
they may have in transacting their business with the local officers 
of the city. So the strong arm of our country is stretched out in 
its protecting might over the American citizen almost wherever he 
goes on the face of the earth. 

The consuls also keep the home Government informed as to 
all laws affecting commerce, to new industries, and to everything 
of interest to the American people. 

The Secretary is also the custodian of the original copies of 
laws enacted by Congress, and of treaties with foreign govern- 
ments, and uses his judgment in publishing or promulgating the 
same. 



The Treasury Department. 

OST people are fond of hearing about the great money 
transactions of our Government. Volumes could be written 
about the public business of this immense and, in many re- 
spects, most important department of the Government. 

The compensation of the great army of employes and officers 
of the Government required in 1896 the sum of $99,500,000. 

If this money were all in silver dollars it would make three 



M' 



336 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

hundred freight car loads of twenty thousand pounds each. Quite 
a lot of money, is it not? A big sum you say and, yet, this is 
only part of the money paid out by the Government. All the 
expenses of carrying the mails, amounting to many millions yearly, 
all the cost of the public buildings, such as postofihces, courthouses 
and customhouses, all expenses of the army and navy, of building 
fortifications and ships of war, clearing out the channels of rivers 
and harbors, pensions to the soldiers, interest on the public debt, 
and many other things, amounting, altogether, to about five hundred 
million dollars which this department has to provide yearly to meet 
the demands of the Government. 

As the Government has no money of its own, it must collect 
taxes from its citizens in various ways, or else borrow. But when a 
government borrows money it must raise just so much more by 
taxation some other time, if it is honest, in order to pay it back. 

It is true, a small sum of money is received every year from the 
sale of public lands in the Western States and Territories, and from 
other sources, such as fees paid for official services by certain 
officers, but it only amounts to a few million dollars. 

The United States have only two ways of raising money by 
taxation; first, by levying a tax on merchandise imported from other 
countries, as sugar, wool, iron, silk, and the like; and, second, 
by levying a tax on articles manufactured in our own country, as 
a tax on liquor and tobacco. The first tax is called the custom's 
revenue, from the customhouses or offices through which the im- 
ported goods must pass; and the second is called internal revenue, 
because it is collected on home or domestic products. 

It is the business of the Treasury Department to collect the 
vast amount of taxes, amounting to nearly five hundred million 
dollars annually, and to do this it employs a great number of 
people. 

Then, too, this department coins all the money and prints all 
the paper notes and bills that circulate as money, as well as all the 
postage stamps, revenue stamps and bonds that are used in its 
business. Altogether there are more than seven thousand people 
employed in the Treasury Department in the city of Washington, 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 337 

twelve hundred of which are employed in the Bureau of Engrav- 
ing and Printing. 

The inspection of steamboats, the care of lighthouses and 
the Hfe-saving stations along the coast of the ocean and the shores 
of the great lakes, the execution of the immigration laws, regis- 
tration of American vessels, and many other duties, come under 
the supervision of the Treasury Department. 

To collect and pay out five hundred million dollars yearly 
requires a great many officers who are intrusted with the care of 
this money. Sometimes some of these officers are dishonest, some 
are careless and others are ignorent; so to prevent loss of the 
public money, either by dishonesty or carelessness, the officers 
who are entrusted with the collection and disbursement of money 
are required to render accounts of all their transactions, either 
weekly, monthly or quarterly, to the proper accounting office at 
the Treasury Department, where they are carefully examined. 

So carefully has the system of rendering and settling accounts 
been perfected, that it is almost impossible for an officer to de- 
fraud the Treasury of a large sum of money, or to take many 
small sums, without being detected. In fact, the Government 
loses but a very small sum annually by dishonest practices. 

It may be interesting to know that in the vaults of the 
Treasury Department at Washington are about one hundred and 
fifty million silver dollars, three and a half millions in gold and 
more than forty millions of paper money, making nearly two hundred 
million dollars that are kept on hand to meet the demands of the 
public business. 

The War Department. 

THE Secretary of War has charge, under the President, of 
everything that pertains to the army of the United States, 
and to the military service, including also matters relating 
to river and harbor improvements, and generally all public 
works authorized by Congress, except public buildings and such 
Structures as are under the Navy Department. 

Under the Secretary of War is the Adjutant-General's office, 



338 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

which keeps the record of every man and officer in the army, issues 
all orders of the President. The Secretary, or the commanding 
general, carries on the correspondence with the army, attends to 
the recruiting of men and appointment of officers, and looks after 
the discipline of the service. 

The Quartermaster-General's office provides and has charge 
of all the property of the military service, such as buildings, tents, 
horses, wagons, clothing, forage for animals, and also provides 
transportation of any kind when needed. 

The Commissary-General provides all the food and other sup- 
plies for the army except clothing. The Surgeon-General has 
charge of the health of the army, the military hospitals, and pur- 
chases and has the care of all medical supplies. 

The Paymaster-General is charged with the payment of the 
army and all civil employes of the Department. The Engineer- 
in-Chief has charge of the public works, such as fortifications, 
improvements of rivers, harbors and roads, and any other work 
which may be ordered. The Ordnance Bureau has charge of 
supplying the arms and ammunition for the service, and the Judge 
Advocate-General reviews the records of all courts-martial on the 
trial of any enlisted man or officer for any offense committed, 
and acts as the law-officer for the Department. The office of the 
Signal Service has charge of all duties pertaining to military 
signaling, and military telegraph and telephone lines, and has 
charge of their construction and repair, and collects information 
in regard to military communication. The army of the United 
States consists of 23,820 private soldiers, and 2, 147 officers. 

The Navy Department. 

THE Navy Department nas the oversight and management of 
the United States Navy, including the construction or pur- 
chase of vessels, arming and equipping them, the enlistment 
and training of sailors and marines and the education of the 
officers. 

The bureaus under it are in charge of a regular officer of the 
navy, and their duties are as follows: 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 339 

The Bureau of Navigation is the administrative office of the 
Department, and has charge of the education of cadets and 
officers, the training of sailors and marines, enHstments and dis- 
charges, assignments of officers and crews to the various vessels, 
keeps the records of the service, looks after the discipline, and 
issues all nautical publications and information of interest to ship 
owners or masters. Orders governing the movements of naval 
vessels are issued through this office. 

The Bureau of Docks and Yards has charge and supervision 
of all Government docks, harbors, and navy yards, including their 
construction, repair or improvement. 

The Bureau of Equipment and Recruiting has charge of sup- 
plying all vessels with furnishings not part of the ship itself, such 
as sails, anchors, ropes, lights, compasses, fuel for steamers, etc. 

The Ordnance Bureau attends to the purchase or manufac- 
ture of arms of all kinds, from the small revolvers to the thirteen- 
inch cannon, the steel plates for armored ships, and recommends 
how the armor and guns should be placed on the war vessels. 

The Bureau of Construction and Repair. — This office furnishes 
the plans for all the naval vessels, attends to their construction 
and repair, whether built by the Government or at private ship 
yards. It will perhaps be interesting to know that our best war 
vessels have been built by private ship builders. 

The Bureau of Steam Engineering provides plans, and* super- 
vises the construction of all steam engines and machinery, either 
for the propulsion of vessels or for use at the docks or yards. 

The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery has charge of all naval 
hospitals, purchases supplies of medicines and surgical instruments, 
prepares plans for new hospital buildings, superintends their construc- 
tion and has charge generally of the sanitary condition of the 
various branches of the service. 

The purchase, distribution and care of all supplies of food 
and clothing for the naval force is under the supervision of the 
Bureau of Provisions and Clothing. 

The Judge Advocate-General is the law officer of the Navy 
Department, and reviews the action of all courts trying men or officers 
for any offense committed while in the service. It also prepares con- 



340 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

tracts for the construction of vessels and docks, or for other work, 
attends to the examinations of officers for promotions or retirement, 
and examines any question of law submitted by the President, 
Secretary, or by any branch of the Department, and renders an 
opinion when requested, which is generally taken to govern official 
action in matters to which it may relate. 

The Department of the Interior. 

THIS Depariment has charge of the unsold public lands, their 
survey and sale, makes regulations concerning how the same 
may be settled under the laws of Congress, and gives a title or 

deed to the purc.haser of each piece of land sold. It has also 
the charge of caring for the Indians, furnishing them provisions, seeds 
or tools for farming their lands; educating the young Indian boys 
and girls, teaching them trades or how to be farmers. 

The Patent Office, under this Department, issues patents for 
meritorious inventions and keeps a record of every invention for 
which a patent is claimed, whether the patent is granted or not. 

The Pension Bureau is a branch of the Interior Department. 
Here more than twelve hundred clerks are employed finding out 
what soldiers and sailors of the United States, or their dependent 
families or relations, are entitled, under the laws, to receive a 
pension 

The Bureau of Education collects information and statistics 
concerning schools and colleges and their work, has charge of the 
educational system of the territories, and publishes reports from 
time to time on educational matters. 

The geological survey, taking the census every tenth year, 
compiling and publishing information obtained, are also duties of 
this Department. 

Those western railroads which received gifts of land or other 
aid from the Government in building are to a certain extent 
under the supervision of the Commissioner of Railroads, who is 
an officer of the Interior Department. 

The national parks, of which there are quite a number, and 
certain affairs of the territories are also in charge of the Secretary 
of the Interior. 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 341 

The Postoffice Department. 

THIS Department has charge of everything that pertains to col- 
lecting, carrying and dehvering the mails; the appointment 
of postmasters whose compensation does not exceed one thou- 
sand dollars per year; the appointment of all employes in 
the postal service; issue and sale of postage stamps, stamped envel- 
opes and wrappers; the sale and payment of money orders, and the 
inspection of postoffices by special agents to prevent carelessness 
or fraud on the part of postmasters or other officers. 

There are four assistants to the Postmaster-General. The 
first assistant fixes the compensation of postmasters and allow- 
ances for rent of ofhce, clerk hire, fuel, lights and other expenses 
of the postmasters; furnishes supplies of stationery, blanks, letter 
scales; has charge of the money order business, and attends to 
the disposition of unmailable matter, and returns lost or misdi- 
rected letters and parcels. 

The second assistant has charge of all matters connected 
with carrying the mails, including the purchase and repair of mail 
bags and other articles for use in transporting the mails. 

The third assistant is the financial officer of the Department, 
and has the payment of all sums due contractors for carrying the 
mails, or to other persons. He also has charge of issuing postage 
stamps, stamped envelopes, wrappers and postal cards, and col- 
lecting the revenue therefrom; and he also has charge of the reg- 
istered mail matter. 

The Fourth Assistant Postmaster-General has charge of the 
inspection of postoffices, and investigates all alleged frauds in 
the service and all ^^"^ — or irregularity of the mails and performs 
such other duties aS iii^j je assigned to him by the Postmaster- 
General. 

The duties of the assistants, however, are subject to change 
from time to time as the head of the Department may direct. 

In this department also comes the "dead letter" office. It 
will perhaps be interesting to state that here can be found every- 
thing, from a preserved reptile in a bottle to a lost or strayed 
proposal of marriage. 



342 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

The Department of Agriculture. 

^T^HIS is the youngest of the great departments, being created 



I in i; 

\ It has charge of all inquiries and investigations of mat- 

ters affecting the agriculture of the United States. This 
occupation is so universal throughout the country, one-half of the 
population being engaged in some branch of it, and almost every 
business being to some extent dependent upon its prosperity, it 
was considered wise for the Government to enter upon the work 
of aiding in its development and improvement. 

There is a great variety of subjects about which information 
is necessary, but which would be too expensive for one to find out 
on his own account. So the Government undertakes to do it for 
the public, such as the investigation of plant diseases, which ex- 
tend over several States and threaten to seriously affect the value 
of crops; injurious insects; diseases of farm animals and how to 
prevent their spreading. 

The preservation of the forests, the introduction and distri- 
bution of new seeds and plants and their cultivation on such a 
scale as to prove their value to the farmer, the irrigation of the 
dry plains in some of the Western States and territories; conduct- 
ing experiments with various crops, fruits and domestic animals; 
the examination of soils, fertilizers and food products; collecting 
information of the amount of farm products and number of farm 
animals and the consumption of the various kinds of farm prod- 
ucts by the different nations in the world, are matters all under 
the supervision of this Department. 

The Weather Bureau is part of this Department and through 
its observers it receives reports by telegraph twice each day of 
all conditions of the weather in every part of the country, and 
after a careful study of these reports, the "forecasters" are able 
to foretell what the weather will be during the next day or 
two, though the "indications" are only given for twenty-four 
hours ahead. 

Perhaps it may be wise to add that "forecasts" are not al- 
ways correct, as you may have already discovered. 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. 



343 



The Department of Justice. 

THE Attorney-General is the chief law officer of the United 
States, to whom are referred by the heads of the other 
executive departments matters involving any question of law 
which may arise in the affairs of their respective depart- 
ments, and his decisions are generally binding upon the other 
officers of the Government. He also gives his opinion and advice 
upon such questions of law as the President may require. 

The Attorney-General or some of his numerous assistants 
represents the United States before the courts in all cases where 
any matter is on trial in which the United States is a party, or in 
which the United States has an interest. 



ASPIRATIONS OF THE AMERICAN YOUTH. 




mm 




I riean to be President, Some 
day. 



Know I shall be Mrs. Presi- 
dent, Some day. 



PART IX. 

Under Both Flags 




**Home, Sweet Home." 

FRANCES WILLARD. 

N the spring of 1863 two great armies were encamped 
on either side of the Rappahannock River, one dressed 
in blue and the other dressed in gray. As twihght fell, 
the bands of music on the Union side began to play 
the martial music, "The Star Spangled Banner, "and 
"Rally Round the Flag;" and that challenge of music 
was taken up by those upon the other side, and they 
responded with "The Bonnie Blue Flag," and "Away Down South 
in Dixie." It was borne in upon the soul of a single soldier in 
one of those bands of music to begin a sweeter and a more tender 
air, and slowly as he played it they joined in a sort of chorus of 
all the instruments upon the Union side, until finally a great and 
mighty chorus swelled up and down our army — "Home, Sweet 
Home." When they had finished there was no challenge yonder, 
for every band upon that further shore had taken up the lovely 
air so attuned to all that is holiest and dearest, and one great chorus 
of the two great hosts went up to God; and when they had fin- 
ished the sweet and holy melody, from the boys in gray there 
came a challenge, "Three cheers for home!" and as they went 
reverberating through the skies from both sides of the river, 
"something upon the soldiers' cheeks washed off the stains of 

powder." 

344 



UNDER BOTH FLAGS. 345 

War and Peace. 

THE REV. O. 11. TIFFANY, D. D. 

HOW solemn a thing is death! — and yet, how wonderful a 
thing is life! God appoints it, man develops it, death seals 
its dest^y, eternity unfolds its ultimate issues. Each 
human soul in which this power of life is has "its secrets 
and histories and marvels of destiny, heaven's splendors are over 
its dead, hell's terrors are under its feet, tragedies and poetries 
are in it, and a history for eternity." Every social organism, 
every grand national aggregation of lives but generalizes the history 
of the individual, and thus the history of all life and of all living, 
whether in individuals, families, societies or nations, is one history, 
and that history the record of its conflicts, its defeats, its victories. 
The dawn of this life is a struggle for being, its growth a con- 
stant warfare with antagonisms, its maintenance is by continued 
defenses. And each and all of these create crises of destiny which 
may retard or advance, destroy or establish the whole. 

Our national birth was a contest with physical difficulties, 
our establishment a victory over political antagonisms; the last 
desperate struggle was a conflict of ideas, a contest of moral princi- 
ples; and we may hope that its issue shall be one of prosperity 
and peace. 

Mountains are rock-ribbed and enduring because the earth- 
quake has settled them on their foundations; the pines that crest 
them like a coronet withstand the rudest blasts, because they 
have been rooted by the storms which toss their giant branches. 
So universal freedom has been made sure by the passing turbu- 
lence of rebellion, and our national prosperity established by the 
rude blast of war. 

It was a war such as the world never before witnessed; it was 
fought by such armies as never before were marshaled on the field. 
But the end has come. These great armies have returned covered 
with honor and laureled with renown. They are merged again in 
the business and activities of life; they have disappeared from 
view like the snow in springtime, or the dew of the morning in 



346 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

the summer's sun; now and then the halting step upon the side- 
walk, here and there an empty sleeve, remind us in our daily 
walks of the stern realities of war. 

After war, peace! 

Peace to the dead. Peace through their labors to the living. 
These "have fought their last fight, "the salvos of artillery which 
soon shall sound from the guns they loved so well shall not 
awake them. The grass shall grow green in springtime, the birds 
of summer shall sing their sweetest notes, the bright glories of 
autumn shall tint the foliage above them, and the white snow of 
winter shall lie unbroken on their graves, but these shall sleep on 
in peace. 

Peace, white-robed and olive-crowned, has come to us who 
linger. Peace, with its cares and toils, peace, with its plenty and 
prosperity, peace, with its duties for to-day and its destinies for 
to-morrow. Let us welcome it and become worthy of it. Let 
there be in all our lives, thoughts, hopes, endeavors, such devotion 
to duty as called and sent these brave men to the battlefield and 
sustained them there; and then we may safely leave our future to 
the care of those who, coming after us, shall pause, amid the ruins 
time may make, to trace upon the marble in our cenieteries the 
names of the heroic dead. 

God gives us peace! Not such as lulls to sleep, 

But sword on thigh and brows with purpose knit. 

And let our Ship of State to harbor sweep. 

Her ports all up! Her battle lanterns lit! 

And her leashed thunders gathered for their leap. 

The Union Soldier. 

ROBERT G. INGERSOLL. 

^HE past rises before me like a dream. Again we are in the 



great struggle for national life. We hear the sounds of 



T 

I preparation, the music of the boisterous drum, the silver 

voices of heroic bugles. We see thousands of assemblages, and 

hear the appeals of orators; we see the pale cheeks of women and 



UNDER BOTH FLAGS. 347 

the flushed faces of men; and in those assemblages we see all the 
dead whose dust we have covered with flowers. We lose sight of 
them no more. We are with them when they enlist in the great 
army of freedom. We see them part with those they love. Some 
are walking for the last time in quiet, woody places with the maid- 
ens they adore. We hear the whisperings and the sweet vows of 
eternal love as they lingeringly part forever. Others are bending 
over cradles, kissing babies that are asleep; some are receiving 
the blessings of old men; some are parting with mothers who hold 
them and press them to their hearts again and again, and say 
nothing, and some are talking with wives, and endeavoring with 
brave words spoken in the old tones to drive from their hearts the 
awful fear. We see them part. We see the wife standing in the 
door, with the babe in her arms — standing in the sunlight sob- 
bing — at the turn of the road a hand waves — she answers by holding 
high in her loving hands the child. He is gone, and forever. 
We see them all as they march proudly away under the flaunting 
flags, keeping time to the wild, grand music of war, marching down 
the streets of the great cities, through the towns and across the 
prairies, down to the fields of glory, to do and to die for the 
eternal right. We go with them, one and all. We are by their 
side on all the gory fields, in the hospitals, on all the weary 
marches. We stand guard with them in the wild storm, and under 
the quiet stars. We are with them in ravines running wfth blood, 
in the furrows of old fields; we are with them between contesting 
hosts unable to move, wild with thirst, the life ebbing slowly 
away among the withered leaves. We see them pierced by balls 
and torn with shells in the trenches by forts, and in the whirlwind 
of the charge, where men become iron, with nerves of steel. 

We are with them in the prisons of hatred and famine; but 
human speech can never tell what they endured. We are at 
home when the news comes that they are dead. We see 
the maiden in the shadow of her first sorrow. We see the sil- 
vered head of the old man bowed with the first grief. 

The past rises before us, and we see four milHons of human 
beings governed by the lash; we see them bound hand and foot; 
we hear the strokes of cruel whips; we see the hounds tracking 



348 STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 

women through the tangled swamps; we see babes sold from the 
breasts of mothers. Cruelty unspeakable! Outrage infinite! Four 
million bodies in chains — four million souls in fetters. All the 
sacred relations of wife, mother, father and child trampled be- 
neath the brutal feet of might. All this was done under our own 
beautiful banner of the free. The past rises before us; we hear 
the roar and shriek of the bursting shell; the broken fetters fall; 
these heroes died. We look — instead of slaves we see men, women 
and children. The wand of progress touches the auction block, 
the slave pen, the whipping post, and we see homes and firesides, 
and schoolhouses and books, and where all was want and crime 
and cruelty and fetters, we see the faces of the free. These 
heroes are dead; they died for liberty; they died for us; they are 
at rest; they sleep in the land they made free under the flag they 
rendered stainless, under the solemn pines, the sad hemlocks, the 
tearful willows and the embracing vines; they sleep beneath the 
shadows of the clouds, careless alike of sunshine or storm, each 
in the windowless palace of rest. Earth may run red with other 
wars, they are at peace. In the midst of battle they found the 
severity of death. I have one sentiment for the soldiers, living 
and dead — cheers for the living, and tears for the dead. 

Our Noble, Heroic and Self =Sacrif icing Women. 

EMORY A. STORRS. 

BRIGHT and shining on our resplendent annals shall appear 
the names of those thousands of noble, heroic and self-sacri- 
ficing women, who organized and carried forward to triumph- 
ant success a colossal sanitary and charitable scheme, the 
like of which, in nobility of conception and perfectness of execu- 
tion, the world had never before witnessed, and which carried all 
around the globe the fame and the name of the women of 
America. 

From camp to camp, from battlefield to battlefield, through 
the long and toilsome march, by day and by night, these sacred 
charities followed, and the prayers of the devoted and the true 
were ceaselessly with you through all dangers. 



UNDER BOTH FLAGS. 



349 



Leagues and leagues separated you from home, but the bless- 
ings there invoked upon you hovered over and around you, and 
sweetened your sleep like angels' visits. 

While the boy soldier slept by his camp fire at night and 
dreaming of home, and what his valor would achieve for his 
country, uttered even in his dreams prayers for the loved ones 
who had made that home so dear to him, the mother dreaming 
of her son breathed at the same time prayers for his safety, and 
for the triumph of his cause. The prayers and blessings of 
mother and son, borne heavenward, met in the bosom of their 
common God and Father. 

Antietam. 



I'VE wandered to Antietam, John, 
And stood where foe met foe 
Upon the fields of Maryland 
So many years ago. 
The circling hills rise just the same 

As they did on that day, 
When you were fighting blue, old 
boy, 
And I was fighting gray. 

The winding stream runs 'neath the 
bridge 
Where Burnsidewon his fame; 
The locust trees upon the ridge 

Beyond are there the same. 
The birds were singing 'mid the 
trees — 
'Twas bullets on that day. 
When you were fighting blue, old 
boy, 

And I was fighting gray. 
I saw again the Dunker Church 

That stood beside the wood. 
Where Hooker made the famous 
charge 

That Hill so well withstood. 



'Tis scarred and marred by war and. 
time, 

As we are, John, to-day; 
For you were fighting blue, old boy, 

As I was fighting gray. 

I stood beneath the signal tree 

Where I that day was laid, 
And 'twas your arms, old boy, that 
brought 

Me to this friendly shade. 
Tho' leaves are gone and limbs are 
bare, 

Its heart is true to-day 
As yours was then, tho' fighting blue. 

To me, tho' fighting gray. 

I marked the spot where Mansfield 
fell. 

Where Richardson was slain. 
With Stark and Douglas 'mid the 
corn, 

And Brant amid the grain. 
The names are sacred to us, John; 

They led us in the fray, [blue 

When you were fighting Northern 

And I the Southern gray. 



350 



STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY. 



I thought of Burnside, Hooker, 
Meade, 

Of Sedgwick, old and grave; 
Of Stonewall Jackson, tried and true. 

That tried the day to save. 
I bared my head-^ — they rest in peace — 

Each one has passed away; 
Death musters those who wore the 
blue 

With those who wore the gray. 

The old Pry mansion rears its walls 
Beside Antietam's stream, 

And far away along the South 
I saw the tombstones gleam. 



They mark each place where "Little 
Mac" 
And Robert Lee that day 
Made proud the South, tho' wearing 
blue, 
The North, tho' wearing gray. 

Yes, John, it gave me joy to stand 

Where we once fiercely fought. 
The nation now is one again — 

The lesson has been taught. 
Sweet peace doth fair Antietam crown, 

And we can say to-day [blue 

We're friends, tho' one was fighting 

And one was lighting gray. 







I 



